More than 200 inmates fled District Malir prison in Karachi late Monday night after a series of earthquakes triggered panic and allowed prisoners to overpower guards. Provincial Law Minister Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar confirmed the mass escape, which saw inmates seize weapons, force open gates, and engage in a shootout that left one prisoner dead and three guards injured.
With only 28 guards on duty and no security cameras, the 6,000-capacity facility became the scene of one of Pakistan’s largest jailbreaks. Local TV footage captured barefoot prisoners sprinting through Malir district as police pursued them. By Tuesday, authorities had recaptured 80 escapees, but over 120 remained at large—many reportedly heroin users who grew agitated during the tremors.
Officials admitted a critical error in allowing inmates into the courtyard after the quakes. “There was panic here because of earthquake tremors,” Lanjar said, while Provincial Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah condemned the decision. A Reuters team observed ransacked visitation rooms and shattered equipment at the facility, where anxious families gathered for updates.
Shah warned remaining fugitives they face upgraded terrorism charges unless they surrender. Nearby resident Bukhsh described the chaos to Reuters, recounting how prisoners fled into his apartment complex before arrests began.
