Islamabad, June 3 (UNI) More than 200 inmates have escaped from a prison in Pakistan after they were moved from their cells for safety amid earthquake tremors, police said.

Several dozen of the prisoners that broke out of the jail in Karachi were quickly recaptured, he 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.

Of the 216 prisoners who had fled from Malir prison during the night, 78 had been recaptured, Kashif Abbasi, a senior police official said. He stressed that none of the escaped prisoners were convicted fighters.

Escapes are not common from Pakistani jails, which have stepped up security measures since an attack on a prison by the Pakistani Taliban in the town of Dera Ismail Khan, which freed hundreds of inmates, according to media reports.

One prisoner was killed, and three security officials were wounded in a shootout that developed amid a bid to put one of the escapees back into custody, Aljazeera reported.



Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, home minister for Sindh province, said the jailbreak happened while prisoners were removed from their cells for safety during the tremors. Once outside their cells, a group of inmates attacked guards, seized their weapons and opened fire.

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