2 East Berliners Use Ladder to Flee to West
Two East Berlin men escaped to the West by climbing over the Berlin Wall with a ladder, West Berlin authorities said Wednesday.
The escape took place in September but was reported for the first time Wednesay in the newspaper Bild.
West Berlin Interior Ministry spokesman Hans Birkenbeul confirmed the escape and told reporters that it apparently was not noticed by Communist border guards.
Bild said Jan Peter Mueller, 24, a bricklayer, and Bernd Hansen, 26, a locksmith, climbed a ladder over the wall before dawn and then walked across the Bornholmer bridge into the French-administered sector of West Berlin.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
