Oh shite the prison collapsed as well

[malaise]

That does make sense.
4,000 prisoners - many probably most are on the loose.

add

[WeDidIt]

1. Cinder block buildings wiht no reinforement

don't hold up very well in a 7.0 earthquake.

[lapfog_1]

2. And, worse, they also have (in many instances)

cinder block roofs, instead of the more common (in the Caribbean) tin roof on a single story building.

The death toll will be very very large.

[Codeine]

3. Cinderblock roofs?

OMG. I can't even imagine how that works structurally. And all that coming down on people inside -- fucking awful.

[lapfog_1]

5. I( wondered about that too, when I first heard the report last night

on Shuster's live coverage.

But apparently, it is the case.

[malaise]

6. True but lots of the reinforced buildings also collapsed

This was a massive earthquake.

[lapfog_1]

8. Not to mention a somewhat shallow earthquake.

Those are more destructive than ones deeper down.

[tekisui]

4. In this situation, everyone is concerned with survival.

I think a few thousand convicts in the mix is the least of worries.

[aquart]

7. Or dead or dying beneath the broken walls.

[malaise]

9. More than a few escaped

according to M$Greedia