03 June,2025 10:33 PM IST | Karachi | mid-day online correspondent
Media personnel are seen through a shattered glass window at a prison facility in Karachi`s Malir district on Tuesday, after inmates escaped overnight amid earthquake panic. Pic/AFP
Over 200 prisoners escaped from a high-security jail in Pakistan's port city of Karachi after chaos erupted following an earthquake, a minister said on Tuesday.
According to PTI, hundreds of prisoners broke down the doors of their cells after they felt tremors at Malir Jail in Karachi, which was hit by three low-intensity earthquakes on Monday.
Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul Hasan Lanjhar confirmed on Tuesday that 216 prisoners had escaped from the jail. He further added that 78 prisoners were recaptured within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Lanjhar said that when the tremors occurred on Monday night, the prisoners panicked and began resorting to violence to get out of their cells, PTI reported.
"Police officials tried to ensure their safety and brought them out of the cells, after which some prisoners resorted to violence and escaped," he added.
He said that a dozen policemen and prisoners were injured in the violence, while one prisoner was shot dead while trying to escape.
According to PTI, the minister stated that if prisoners returned voluntarily, the government would consider reducing their sentences. He also warned that those caught by police would be tried under anti-terrorism laws.
Malir Jail also houses over 100 Indian prisoners, most of whom are poor fishermen serving time for allegedly fishing illegally in Pakistan's waters.
A police official said that the Indian prisoners were kept in a separate barrack and remained in their cells during the earthquake, while others fled, PTI reported.
Earlier, Jail Superintendent Arshad Shah said that over 600 prisoners were taken out from their barracks during the quake, according to Geo TV.
Law enforcement authorities have launched a joint operation to track down the remaining escapees. The incident has led to the dismissal of the IG Prisons, the jail superintendent, and other high-ranking officials.
Meanwhile, seven terrorists were killed by security forces in two separate operations in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Tuesday, the army said.
According to PTI, the militants were killed during two intelligence-based operations in Mach and Kalat districts, the military's media wing said in a statement. Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also recovered from the slain terrorists, who had been actively involved in numerous terrorist activities.
(With inputs from PTI)
