Three detainees who escaped from Chumphon provincial court in a stolen prison truck on Thursday remained at large on Friday, but searchers said they were closing in on them.
The three men, who were chained together when they fled, were believed to be hiding on mountainside in the southern province, Corrections Department director-general Naras Savestanan said. Police, soldiers and local officials were assisting in the hunt.
Authorities were already at the residences of their families and close friends in case they went there, and the escapees were unlikely to flee through a mangrove forest and swim out to sea as they were in chains, he said.
According to Mr Naras, five detainees tried to escape from the Lang Suan court on Thursday. They snatched the key of their prison truck from a corrections official and drove off in the vehicle. Police and security guards at the court tried to block their escape, but they crashed through the gates and drove away.
The two other escapees were on foot and were quickly recaptured outside the court. One was made to lie down in front of the court gate and was seriously injured when the hijacked truck ran over him. He was also hit by the large gate as the truck smashed its way through.
The three hunted men were identified as Thanathip Permlarp, Pichet Klin-ocha and Krisada Kaeonui. They were on charges of methamphetamine trafficking. Mr Krisada was also charged with a firearms violation.
The corrections pickup truck was found abandoned in a rubber plantation in Moo 12 village of Thung Tako district, about 10 kilometres from Lang Suan court.
Mr Naras attributed the escape to a shortage of corrections personnel. Investigators had not found signs any official aided them. They would find out if any outsiders assisted in the escape, he said.
In the last fiscal year, 23 detainees had previously escaped from prisons nationwide, which hold about 300,000 inmates, and 22 of them had been recaptured, he said.