At least 216 detainees escaped from the Karachi district prison on Monday evening after earthquakes sparked a temporary evacuation from the prisoners of their barracks, confirmed the superintendent of Arshad Shah prison on Tuesday.
Shah told journalists that prisoners had taken advantage of chaotic evacuation to flee the installation.
The incident caused an emergency response, with the police, rangers and the body front (FC) deployed in and around the prison to regain control and prevent other escapes.
Sindh Ig Ghumlam Nabi Memon confirmed in an interview that 78 escapes had been recapped, and a massive research operation is currently underway to locate the remaining fugitives.
The entire prison complex has since been secure, the rangers supporting external security and the police reinforced inside.
The authorities have completed a complete internal search of the prison and the officials have confirmed that the situation is now under control.
A jailbreak occurred in Malir prison early Tuesday morning, when the prisoners crossed the prison wall and tried to flee, which caused a rapid and heavy response of law enforcement organizations.
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Prison staff are currently checking the number of detainees and categorizes escapes.
Read: Latron earthquake shakes Karachi; No damage reported
According to Dig Prisons Hassan Sahito, around 6,000 prisoners were present in the establishment when the tremors struck.
“Panic quickly spread among the detainees. Some began to break the locks and try to flee several points,” he told private news channels.
Sahito also mentioned that many of those who escaped were usual drug offenders.
The Minister of the Interior Sindh, Zia-Ul-Hasan Lanjar, addressing the media outside the prison during a television briefing, confirmed the jailbreak and said that an official steam chief was underway.
“It remains to be determined whether the escape occurred due to a wall violation or simply broken locks,” he said, adding that a full investigation is underway to identify the causes and those responsible.
The rescue teams reported that three FC staff members had suffered serious injuries in the jostling chaos, while several others were injured and treated in a private hospital.
Large -scale
In response to the escape, the two ways of the national highway near the prison were closed, and a large -scale manhunt was launched in neighboring areas such as Gaddafi Town, Shah Latif Town and Bhains Colony.
With the Rangers, the Special Security Unit (SSU), the special response force (SRF) and the local police all participating in the operation, the authorities have since obtained the prison complex and the officials have confirmed that the situation inside is now under control.
A complete workforce and verification process is underway to identify all those who have escaped.
Investigators continue to assess whether recent earthquakes have directly contributed to jailbreak.
With concerns raised on the structural integrity of the establishment following the tremors, the prison authorities assess the site for new risks.
Earthquakes
Karachi experienced 9 to 11 tremors in the last 48 hours, with the magnitude of 3.6 strongest recording. The most recent earthquake was recorded at 11:16 p.m., shortly before the incident.
Information sources have linked jailbreak to structural vulnerabilities caused by seismic activity.
Experts have linked the tremors to underground tectonic movements and the release of seismic energy.
The terracks of earthquakes were focused in Malir, Quidabad and DHA.
Fearing other earthquakes, many Malir residents and surrounding areas install tents in open spaces and have avoided sleeping inside.
Women in the affected districts spent a large part of Monday to engage in a Koranic recitation for spiritual protection.
Read: The detainees escape from Karachi’s Malir prison after having broken Wall
Previously, the authorities have confirmed that 20 of the prisoners escaped have been resumed, while the efforts to locate and hold the others continued.
The area surrounding the prison was completed as part of an intensified man hunt.
According to the first reports, shots broke out near the prison after the attempted escape.
The police forces, helped by other law enforcement units, quickly mobilized and launched a large -scale research operation to apprehend the fugitives.
Police urged citizens to avoid the area and to report any activity immediately suspicious.
An official investigation into the security violation is expected once the situation is under control.
