Colombia tunnel escape foiled

Police in Colombia say they have foiled a mass jailbreak by prisoners belonging to the FARC and ELN guerrilla movements.

The sub-director of the Bogota Police, Colonel Angel Porras, said officers had discovered a tunnel in a house near La Picota prison in the south-east of the capital.

He said investigators came across a network of tunnels leading to one block in the jail where the prisoners were getting ready to escape.

He said the police were told about the escape attempt by anonymous sources.

Six people were arrested at the house where the tunnel was found.

They said they had agreed to be paid $200,000 for every 50 metres of tunnel they dug.

A prison official said this was the second tunnel to be discovered leading from the prison in the last month.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service