Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Watch the moment drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman casually escapes from his prison cell

Guzman's disappearance is concealed by a wall he had specially made to give him some privacy

Alexander Sehmer
Wednesday 15 July 2015 16:37 BST
Comments
The video shows grainy footage of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman in his cell at the Altiplano prison
The video shows grainy footage of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman in his cell at the Altiplano prison

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Mexican government has released footage of the moment one of the world's most powerful drug lords escaped his maximum security prison cell.

Grainy footage taken from the prison's security cameras shows Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman pacing his prison cell before crouching down in the cell's shower area and eventually disappearing from sight.

A low partition wall blocks the view of his escape route - a roughly 50cm (20 inch) by 50cm hole that is the entrance to a tunnel dug under the prison.

Mexican National Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido, said the blind spot was designed to permit Guzman some privacy while he was washing.

Guzman escaped from Altiplano prison on Saturday, apparently down a mile-long tunnel that linked his cell to a partially-finished building on a construction site close to the prison.

The tunnel contained a modified motorcycle on tracks to guide it that Guzman may have used to traverse the tunnel.

Journalists who visited the site reported the track ends two or three steps from the base of a wooden ladder with 17 rungs that he would have scrambled up into a basement, and then another ladder rising into the building.

Experts have said it would have taken more than a year to plan and build the tunnel.

Guzman's escape is the second time the drug lord has managed a successful prison break. In 2001 he escaped in a laundry cart and remained on the run for nearly four years.

(Additional report by agencies)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in