Pakistan earthquake causes jailbreak: Over 200 prisoners escape during jail evacuation, massive manhunt triggered in...

An unusual event unfolded in Karachi, Pakistan, this week when over 200 prisoners escaped from Malir Jail during a panic caused by mild earthquakes. The chaos, which happened on Monday night, has left authorities scrambling to track down the escapees, with more than 130 inmates still on the run.

The escape occurred after two back-to-back earthquakes, measuring 2.6 and 2.8 on the Richter scale, shook the northeast area of Malir. Although the tremors were mild, they were enough to disrupt the already delicate structure of the jail and create panic among the inmates and staff.

Jail Superintendent Arshad Shah told Geo TV that the jailbreak took place while officers were evacuating prisoners from Circles 4 and 5 as a safety measure. During this time, over 600 inmates were out of their cells, and 216 of them managed to flee amid the confusion.

According to initial reports, the prisoners broke through a weakened outer wall of the jail. However, Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar later said that 700 to 1,000 prisoners had gathered near the jail’s main gate during the evacuation. Taking advantage of the chaos, around 100 managed to break open the gate and escape.

Authorities believe that staff negligence might have played a role in the incident. A formal investigation committee has been formed to look into what went wrong.

Inspector General of Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon shared that many inmates at Malir Jail were facing drug-related charges and some had mental health issues, which could have added to the disorder.

One inmate died during the confusion, and several people, including prison staff and Frontier Corps personnel, were injured. A few inmates have been recaptured, including one named Siraj, who admitted to escaping when the panic began.

Search operations are ongoing as police work to bring the remaining escapees back into custody.