Over 100 inmates escape and 1 is killed as a quake prompts the evacuation of a Pakistan prison

KARACHI, Pakistan — More than 100 inmates escaped from a prison and at least one was killed in a shootout in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi overnight after they were temporarily moved out of their cells following mild earthquake tremors, officials said Tuesday.

Kashif Abbasi, a senior police official, said 216 inmates fled the prison in the capital of Sindh province before dawn. Of those, 78 had been recaptured. No one convicted or facing trial as a militant is among those who fled, he said.

One prisoner was killed and three security officials were wounded in the ensuing shootout, but the situation has been brought under control, Abbasi said, adding that police are conducting raids to capture the remaining escapees.

Ziaul Hassan, the home minister of Sindh province, said the jailbreak occurred after prisoners were evacuated from their cells for safety during the earthquake.

The inmates were still outside of the cells when a group suddenly attacked guards, seized their weapons, opened fire and fled.

Arshad Shah, the superintendent of Malir Prison, said the inmates fled toward a nearby residential area. According to residents, police later used mosque loudspeakers to alert them to the jailbreak and seek help in arresting the escapees.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who is not related to the prison official, asked the escaped prisoners in televised comments to return on their own, saying they had only been involved in minor crimes until that point. But he said they could face terror charges if they are arrested by police on the jailbreak charge.

Hours later, Sindh Informational Minister, Sharjeel Memon, said the government dismissed prison chief Nazir Ahmad and two other officials, including the prison superintendent, over the jailbreak.

Hours alter, efforts were still underway to recapture all the escapees.

Though prisoners have in the past escaped while being transported to court for trial, prison breaks are not common in Pakistan, where authorities have enhanced security since 2013 when the Pakistani Taliban freed more than 200 inmates in an attack on a prison in the northwestern district of Dera Ismail Khan.

Karachi has experienced several mild and shallow earthquakes in the past 24 hours, ranging from 2.6 to 3.4 in magnitude, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Center.