A technician discovered a tunnel near the La Santé prison on Tuesday April 2 while carrying out a maintenance operation. The tunnel was dug by hand.
A great escape in preparation? A tunnel located at 93 rue de la Santé (Paris 13th), a few hundred meters from the de la Santé prison, was discovered on Tuesday April 2 by a technician who was working “in a well for electrical connections”, according to The Parisian. The tunnel was dug by hand in the direction of the penitentiary establishment, located 450 meters further, but extended for less than 5 meters. Several bags filled with rubble as well as a bed were discovered.
It could in fact be a tunnel dug by caving enthusiasts. The official entrance to the catacombs is also located not far away. “There is no evidence to suggest that we are facing the beginnings of an escape attempt,” assures a prison source to the newspaper. Access to the tunnel was immediately condemned by the Paris town hall.
Other tunnels discovered in 2004
The director of the Health remand center, Bruno Clément-Petremann, questioned by franceinfo, evokes a tunnel which has, “a priori, nothing to do with prison, or an attempt to escape”. According to the City of Paris, “after checks carried out by the City’s services, a gallery was indeed discovered on Orange equipment. According to the information at our disposal, it would seem that the purpose of this tunnel was to have access to the underground galleries located nearby but which does not lead.”
An inspection tour was carried out to make a diagnosis and the City of Paris asked Orange to repair and secure this electrical connection well. In the area, other tunnels have already been discovered. In August 2004, five tunnels dug from old quarries had already been discovered under the Santé prison.