The prison break occurred Thursday afternoon from the Jelgava Prison, 50 kilometers south of the Latvian capital, Riga. By Friday morning, 11 of the escapees had been recaptured, officials said.
Media reports said most of the escaped prisoners were young, first-time offenders, but some could be considered dangerous.
Most were serving terms of from three to 15 years on robbery and extortion convictions.
"This is the biggest escape ever in Latvian history," said Normunds Belspis, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
Latvia's Interior Ministry appealed to the escapees to surrender, offering an amnesty to any prisoner who turns himself in to the authorities within 24 hours.
Belspis said that the escape tunnel ran from the shower room to outside the prison fence. The breakout had been so well planned that cars were waiting for some of the prisoners, he added.
Authorities said the search for the escapees could be difficult because they wore civilian clothes.
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