200 Prisoners Escapeed From Pakistan's Karachi Prison During An Earthquake

PIXABAY'S ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - More than 200 detainees fled in the city of Karachi, southern Pakistan, Monday night, after the earthquake.

Minister of Law Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar said before escaping, hundreds of prisoners were allowed out of the cell to the prison grounds due to the earthquake.

"Here we panicked because of the tremors of the earthquake," Lanjar said as quoted by Reuters, Tuesday, June 3.

Under these conditions, Lanjar said that it was difficult for officers to control the crowd, which amounted to 1,000 people.

The inmates escaped before midnight until early Tuesday. Police said the detainees seized weapons from prison staff, which caused a shootout, and then broke through the main gate.

On Tuesday, Reuters reporters at the scene saw broken glass shards and electronic equipment in prison.

The meeting room, where prisoners met their families, was searched.

This incident is one of the biggest prison escapes ever in Pakistan, Lanjar said. Prisons in the Malir district of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, are in a poor residential and industrial environment.

Police managed to arrest several detainees who had escaped

The provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said most of the detainees were involved in minor crimes such as drug addiction.

A gun battle was launched resulting in one prisoner being killed, while three prison staff were injured.

Murad Ali Shah, chief provincial minister, said about 80 detainees were re-arrested.

He warned those who were still free to surrender, or face serious charges for running away.

"The charge of small crimes will be a major case such as terrorism," Shah said.