Karachi, June 3 Over 200 prisoners escaped from Pakistan's Malir Jail in Karachi after earthquake tremors triggered a temporary evacuation of inmates from their barracks, the local media reported on Tuesday.
The prisoners fled the facility after taking advantage of the chaotic situation. One escapee was shot dead while two Frontier Corps (paramilitary force) personnel and one police officer were injured during the incident.
Several inmates attacked the jail authorities with stones and sticks as the firing triggered widespread panic in nearby residential areas, bringing traffic to a standstill on both sides of the National Highway.
Murad Ali Shah, the Chief Minister of Sindh province, expressed grave concern over the developments, stating that investigations are underway.
"Initial reports suggest inmates were evacuated due to earthquake tremors, which triggered panic. This was a wrong decision, and those responsible will be held accountable," he said.
Confirming that 216 prisoners had escaped during the incident and 83 had been recaptured, Shah urged the remaining fugitives to surrender voluntarily or face Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) charges.
According to the Jail Superintendent Arshad Shah, the jailbreak happened when inmates were brought out from their barracks as a safety precaution due to earthquake tremors.
"More than 600 prisoners were outside their cells at the time. Amid the chaos, 213 managed to flee," Pakistani media outlet Geo News quoted the Jail Superintendent as saying.
Pakistani Police's DIG Prisons Hassan Sahito stated that around 6,000 prisoners were inside the facility when the tremors occurred.
"Panic quickly spread among inmates. Some began breaking locks and attempted to flee from multiple points," he told a private news channel.
Sindh's Home Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar called the incident one of the most serious jailbreaks in Pakistan, stating that the official count of the number of escapees is ongoing.
"It is yet to be determined whether the breakout occurred due to a wall breach or simply the locks being broken," he said, adding that an investigation is in progress to determine the reasons and identify the accountable.
Karachi has experienced 19 mild earthquakes since Sunday, the Seismic Monitoring Centre of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed on Tuesday. The latest tremor occurred on early Tuesday morning, registering a magnitude of 2.8. The epicentre of the 16th quake was located northeast of Malir, approximately 15 kilometres from the area, at a depth of 40 kilometres.
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