Berlin, Sep 7 (AP) A German man's escape from a prison day-release scheme resulted in a cross-border manhunt that ended hours later in a fatal crash in neighbouring France, police said on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old fugitive hijacked a car at gunpoint in Mannheim, some 300 kilometres (190 miles) southwest of Berlin, on Monday, forcing the female driver to take off down a highway before leaving her at a rest stop.

Also Read | 31,000-Year-Old Skeleton Found in Indonesia Missing Its Lower Left Leg Is Earliest Known Evidence of Amputation.

The man subsequently caused a crash involving several vehicles, continuing his getaway by hijacking a second car belonging to a man who stopped to offer help.

The fugitive then drove across the border to France, where he was involved in a head-on collision near the town of Nancy and died, police said.

Also Read | UN to Pay Tribute to Victims of Terrorism Including Those Killed in Mumbai Terror Attack.

The inmate had been in an open prison and was on day release when he escaped, officials said.

Police couldn't immediately say how the man had obtained a firearm or how much of his sentence he had left to serve. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)