Tunnel several metres long found by chance being dug near Paris prison

A tunnel stretching several dozen metres underground has been found by chance close to La Santé prison in Paris.

The discovery was made on Tuesday morning in the 14th arrondissement of the French capital by a technician for the electricity company Enedis.

He found “bags filled with rubble as well as a bed” while working in a shaft for electrical connections, a police source told AFP.

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The hole was some 450 metres from the prison, located in the Montparnasse district of Paris, according to Le Figaro.

La Santé, is one of the most famous prisons in France, and includes a VIP and maximum security wing. Famous former inmates include Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.

The last notable escape from the prison came in 1986, when robber and gang leader Michel Vaujour managed to flee in a helicopter flown by his wife.

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Police have opened an investigation into the tunnel.