French man escapes from jail in fellow inmate's bag

PARIS, July 13 (BBC): A man has escaped a French prison by hiding in the bag of a fellow inmate who was leaving prison after serving their sentence, officials told local media.

The prison service has launched an investigation after the man escaped from Lyon-Corbas prison in south-east France on Friday, according to broadcaster BFMTV.

He "took advantage of the liberation of his fellow inmate to hide himself in his luggage and get out", the prison service said in a statement to AFP news agency.

French media have reported that the escaped prisoner was serving several sentences and was also under investigation in a case linked to organised crime.