More than 200 inmates escaped from a prison in Pakistan after overpowering guards in the aftermath of a series of earthquakes, according to police reports.
The mass jailbreak started early Tuesday when prisoners were allowed out of their cells due to the tremors, said Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, the provincial law minister.
Authorities reported that the prisoners seized weapons from staff and forced open the main gate after a gunfight, successfully evading paramilitary forces.
At least one prisoner was killed and three guards injured during the incident, according to Provincial Police Chief Ghulam Nabi Memon.
“I heard gunfire for some time, and later the prisoners ran out in all directions,” said Bukhsh, a private security guard working near the prison, who told Reuters that some escapees briefly entered a nearby apartment complex before police apprehended them.
The jailbreak is considered one of the largest in Pakistan’s history, Lanjar added.
The District Malir prison in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, holds around 6,000 inmates. Footage showed prisoners running barefoot through the area overnight as police pursued them.
Provincial Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah stated that approximately 80 escapees have been recaptured.
Prison superintendent Arshad Shah said only a small fraction of the large inmate population managed to escape during the night shift, which was staffed by 28 guards, and noted the facility lacks security cameras.
Authorities have urged those still at large to surrender voluntarily. Many of the inmates were reportedly heroin users and were unsettled by the earthquake tremors.
Lanjar described the situation as chaotic due to the panic caused by the earthquakes.
The chief minister criticized the decision to let prisoners leave their cells, calling it a mistake.
He warned escapees that minor criminal charges could be escalated to terrorism-related offenses if they fail to surrender.
