• Over 200 inmates escaped from Malir prison in Karachi after earthquake tremors caused prison authorities to evacuate them.
• At least one inmate was killed in a shootout with guards during the escape attempt.
• Authorities have recaptured 78 of the escapees, while many remain at large.

In a dramatic incident on Monday night, over 200 inmates fled from the District Prison Malir in Karachi, Pakistan, during an evacuation prompted by earthquake tremors. Local officials reported that the jailbreak commenced as inmates were removed from their cells to ensure their safety, leading to chaos as some prisoners attacked guards, seized their weapons, and forced their way out of the prison, according to BBC and Dawn.

The Sindh Inspector General of Police, Ghulam Nabi Memon, confirmed that 216 inmates escaped. The chaos during the evacuation coincided with a power outage, exacerbating the panic among the prisoners, leading to the escape, as reported by Newsweek and Al Jazeera.

As police began an operation to recapture the escapees, 78 were quickly apprehended, but over 130 remained unaccounted for. Authorities reported that one prisoner was shot dead during the confrontation, and several guards were injured, according to Reuters and India Times.

Authorities, including Sindh’s Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, criticized the decision to allow such a large gathering of inmates during a crisis, citing it as a significant lapse in judgment. Calls were made for reevaluating prison protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future, as noted by Channel News Asia and South China Morning Post.