Maze Prison escape celebrating the escape called "The Helicopter Song", which topped the Irish popular music charts. 19 IRA members escaped from Portlaoise Jail on 18 August 1974 after overpowering guards and using gelignite to blast through gates, and 33 prisoners attempted to escape from Long Kesh on 6 November 1974 after digging a tunnel. IRA member Hugh Coney was shot dead by a sentry, 29 other prisoners were captured within a few yards of the prison, and the remaining three were back in custody within 24 hours. In March 1975, ten prisoners escaped from the courthouse in Newry while on trial for
Comayagua prison fire being housed for serious crimes, such as murder and armed robbery. Around 475 prisoners escaped from the fire, many through the roof of the facility. Several prisoners jumped over the walls of the prison to escape the fire, but were reportedly shot at by prison guards. According to firefighters, around 100 inmates burned to death or suffocated in their cells as the keys to release them could not be located. Around 30 prisoners were transported to the capital to receive specialist treatment for severe burns. Paola Castro, the local governor, claimed that she called the Red Cross and the firefighters,