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Several of the prisoners, who were already outside their barracks, took advantage of the chaos and pressured the prison staff. Read further on Dynamite News:
Prisoners escape from Karachi jail (Source: Internet)
Islamabad: 216 prisoners have escaped from Karachi prison in Pakistan amid the panic caused by continuous mild earthquake tremors in the city, reports Dynamite News correspondent.
Several of the prisoners, who were already outside their barracks, took advantage of the chaos and pressured the prison staff. This led to a violent standoff.
Prisoners that broke out of the jail in Karachi were quickly recaptured, Police said on Tuesday, but at least 130 are understood to remain unaccounted for.
Authorities added that raids are under way to apprehend those still at large.
Heavy firing was reported inside and around the jail premises, causing panic in nearby residential areas. Several routes, including the national highway, were temporarily closed as police and Rangers cordoned off the area.
Speaking to reporters, SSP Malir Kashif Aftab Abbasi said, "A large contingent of police and paramilitary forces reached the jail within minutes and sealed off nearby settlements, highways and villages. Announcements were made from mosques in Malir, appealing for public cooperation in arresting the escaped prisoners," Samaa TV reported.
Several earthquakes have struck Karachi, Pakistan in the last 24 hours. Karachi's Malir Jail Superintendent Arshad Shah said that 600 prisoners were taken out of the jail barracks on Monday night amid the earthquake. During this, 216 prisoners escaped taking advantage of the stampede.
One prisoner died in this stampede and three security personnel and one jail staff were injured. Arshad Shah said that 80 of the escaped prisoners have been recaptured. 135 prisoners are still absconding, for whose search a search operation is being conducted.
Police and investigation agencies has launched a joint operation to catch the escaped prisoners.
DIG Jail Hassan Sahetu and Director General Rangers Sindh Major General Muhammad Shamrez also visited the jail and reviewed the security arrangements.
Sindh Home Minister admitted that this is the biggest jailbreak in the last several years. An investigation committee has been formed to investigate the incident, which will investigate this negligence.
More than 6000 prisoners are lodged in Malir Jail and most of them are imprisoned on charges of drug smuggling. Karachi has experienced 16 earthquakes since Sunday.
