Warders blamed for Texas jailbreak

The seven escape are believed to have killed a police officer

A report by prison officials in Texas has found that mistakes by employees allowed seven inmates to escape from a state prison last month.

Reports of sightings have poured in from several states

"The system has failed," said Gary Johnson, director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The mistakes include the failure to heed a silent alarm tripped by guards being held hostage by the inmates.

The prisoners were able to escape on 13 December from maximum-security Connally prison, 60 miles south-east of San Antonio.

The seven have since been charged with the Christmas Eve murder of a Dallas-area police officer and remain on the loose.

Alarm unheeded

The report released Thursday said that escape occurred over two and half hours as the inmates overpowered 13 prison employees and then drove from the prison unchallenged in a maintenance truck.

The inmates used homemade knives to take 11 employees and three prisoners hostage in a maintenance storage room, binding them with duct tape and plastic ties and covering their heads with pillowcases.

Six of the inmates worked in the maintenance shop, and the seventh inmate managed somehow to make his way undetected from the prison law library to join the others.

Prison employees later reported noticing unsupervised inmates in the maintenance area, but they did not report the suspicious activity at the time.

Some of the hostages were able to free themselves and sound a silent fire alarm, but when a prison official called the maintenance area, no one answered.

He turned off the alarm and sent no one to investigate, according to the report.

Some of the inmates then disguised themselves as maintenance workers to gain access to the prison's entrance and exit area.

They overpowered another guard and forced him at gunpoint to open the gate.

They stole more than a dozen firearms before leaving and left a note saying, "You haven't heard the last of us yet."

Short staffed

Mr Johnson said that a shortage of guards might have contributed to the escape.

Due to the lack of staff, the number of weapons checks was reduced and employees working long hours were less alert, he said.

The prison guard union said the prison was short 22 staff members at the time of the escape.

The report recommended a review of policies governing inmate movement and a revision of gate procedures so that vehicles remain inside the prison only as long as necessary.

Some prison employees could face disciplinary action, including dismissal, Mr Johnson said.

Prison employees angered

One of the guards taken hostage during the escape, Alejandro Marroquin, was prevented from asking questions during a news conference following the release of the report.

Frustrated, he tossed his security badge at prison officials, saying they were "scapegoating" some employees.

"I tried to fight back, but after they're putting knives around your neck, you're not going to fight back. You know you're going to die, or you're going to live," he said.

There have been numerous unconfirmed sightings of the seven across several states, but they have evaded capture despite police roadblocks and aid from the FBI.

The escapees are armed and considered extremely dangerous. The escapees include convicted killers, a serial rapist and a child molester.

Authorities have issued a $100,000 reward per escapee for information leading to their capture.