KARACHI, Pakistan — More than 100 inmates made a dramatic escape from Karachi’s Malir prison overnight after an earthquake evacuation turned chaotic. Authorities confirmed that at least one prisoner was killed in a shootout during the escape, while three security personnel were wounded.
The jailbreak occurred after prisoners were temporarily moved out of their cells as a precaution following mild tremors in the region. During the evacuation, a group of inmates launched a surprise attack on guards, seized weapons, and opened fire before fleeing the facility. The incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Senior police official Kashif Abbasi said that 216 prisoners escaped before dawn, but 78 have since been recaptured. He assured that none of the escapees were militants or individuals on trial for terrorism-related charges.
Police are conducting widespread raids in nearby neighborhoods to locate the remaining fugitives. The escapees fled toward a nearby residential area, where mosque loudspeakers were later used to alert residents and request public assistance in locating the missing inmates.
Ziaul Hassan, Sindh’s home minister, confirmed that the chaos followed safety measures taken during a series of mild earthquakes. The National Seismic Monitoring Center reported tremors in the region over the past 24 hours, ranging between 2.6 and 3.4 in magnitude.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah made a televised appeal urging the fugitives to return voluntarily, warning that while most were charged with minor offenses, they now risk being prosecuted under anti-terror laws if caught fleeing from lawful custody.
Although prisoner escapes during court transfers have occurred in the past, mass jailbreaks remain rare in Pakistan. The last major breakout happened in 2013, when over 200 inmates were freed in a Taliban-led assault on a prison in Dera Ismail Khan. Since then, authorities have significantly tightened security — a measure now being re-evaluated in light of this latest breach.