A man has escaped from a French prison, slipping past authorities by hiding in the luggage of his cellmate, who was being released at the end of his sentence.

The unnamed 20-year-old is believed to have escaped a French prison on Friday, July 11, with prison officers only noticing his absence the following morning.

Sebastien Cauwel, the director of France’s prison administration, told local news outlet BFMTV that the prisoner “took advantage” of his cellmate’s release from Corbas Prison in Lyon, France.

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One of the escapee’s cellmates was being released from prison, and the prisoner concealed himself inside their laundry bag to free himself from confinement.

The man, who is still at large, is serving multiple sentences and is also undergoing investigation for links to organised crime.

“This is an extremely rare event that we have never experienced in this administration and which clearly reveals a whole series of serious dysfunctions,” Mr Cauwel said.

Mr Cauwel has requested an internal investigation and said the “Minister of Justice has ordered an inspection by the General Inspectorate of Justice”.

He said the Corbas Prison has an occupancy rate of 170 per cent, and said this “makes working conditions more difficult for our staff”.

BFMTV reported that 1200 people were detained in the prison as of May 2025, which is over 500 people more than its capacity of 678.

The BBC reported that the Lyon Bar Association has expressed alarm about “overcrowding” in the prison.

This follows reports of another French escapee, Mohamed Amra, known as “The Fly”, which sparked a manhunt before he was recaptured in Romania in February this year.

Amra had been freed in a violent attack which resulted in the deaths of two prison guards.