They are an Algerian and a Syrian national, both of whom were in the medium-security circuit of the Naples prison.
Lucia Castellano, the superintendent of Campania prisons, went to the scene to coordinate the search operation.
The prison police, along with other law enforcement agencies, have been searching for the fugitives since the early hours of today.
According to initial reports, they escaped after drilling a hole in their cell and then the perimeter wall.
One of the pair has been captured, according to Luigi Castaldo, vice president of the Confederazione Sindacale Penitenziaria.
The escaped inmates, Algerian Mahrez Souki and Syrian Kazem Mohmed Elokla, aged 32 and 23 respectively, were being held for robbery.
The escape occurred through a hole in the perimeter wall and then by lowering themselves along the fence with a rope.
ANSA
