More than 200 inmates escape Pakistan jail after earthquake

More than 200 prisoners escaped a prison in the largest city in Pakistan following an earthquake in the early hours of Tuesday, police announced.

Thousands of detainees broke the doors and locks of their cells and their broken windows after feeling tremors shake the walls in Malir prison in Karachi.

Among those who escaped the prison, the police said that 80 detainees had been recaped and that searches continued for more than 130 in general. A prisoner was killed in the operation and two police officers injured.

A prison superintendent said that the BBC detainees began to cry out their cells and their barracks around midnight when they were terrified, the building would collapse over it.

After the frenzy became violent, the police said they had responded with warning, pulling weapons in the air.

While many returned to their cells, others stormed the main panic door – with 216 detainees who took advantage of the possibility of escaping the prison.

Police are now door-to-door, visiting past residences to stop those who are still on the run.

The establishment of the Malir district is the second largest prison in the Sindh province and is exaggerated. Although it can accommodate up to 2,200 prisoners, there are currently at least 5,000 prisoners.

The Minister of Prisons of the province, Ali Hassan Zardari, ordered an investigation and warned that all the officers at fault are disciplined.

The prison superintendent told the BBC that the incident was “not a security time, all of this is due to a natural disaster”.

He said the prison security teams were on alert and responded to the incident throughout.

Families protested outside the main doors of the prison, and the police said that relatives of other detainees are frustrated that the visits were postponed.

Additional reports by Usman Zahid