At least 216 inmates escaped from Karachis District Malir prison Monday night, after earthquake spacing triggered a temporary evacuation of prisoners from their barracks, prison superintendent Arshad Shah confirmed early Tuesday.
Shah told journalists that the inmates took advantage of the chaotic evacuation to escape the facility.
The incident received an emergency response response where police, Rangers and Frontier Corps (FC) forces were deployed in and around the prison to regain control and prevent further escapes.
Sindh IG Ghulam Nabi Memon confirmed in an interview that 78 escape has been re -captured and a massive search operation is currently underway to find the remaining refugees.
The entire prison connection has since been secured, with ranks taking over external security and police reinforced inside.
Authorities have completed a full internal search in prison and officials confirmed that the situation is now under control.
A jailbreak took place in Malir prison early Tuesday morning when inmates broke through the prison wall and tried to escape, which got a quick and heavy reaction from law enforcement authorities.
For more, https://t.co/jyg65zrqj6#Pakinomist pic.twitter.com/a9qyssodrq
– Express Pakinomist (@Pakinomist) June 3, 2025
Prison staff are currently verifying inmate counts and categorizing escape.
Read: Light earthquake Jolts Karachi; No damage reported
According to you Prisons Hassan Sahito, about 6,000 prisoners were present in the plant when the shaker hit.
“Panic spread quickly among inmates. Some began to break locks and tried to escape from several points,” he told private news channels.
Sahito also mentioned that several of those who left off were usual drug offenders.
Sindh Interior Minister Zia-Ul-Hasan Lanjar, who spoke with media outside the prison in a TV briefing, confirmed the prison and said an official count of escape is going on.
“It has not yet been determined whether the breakout occurred due to a wall overrun or just the locks that were broken,” he said, adding that a full investigation is underway to identify the causes and those responsible.
Rescue teams reported that three FC staff sustained serious injuries in Stampede that followed the chaos, while several others were injured and treated at a private hospital.
Wide scale Manhunt launched
In response to escape, both lanes on National Highway near the jail were closed, and a wide manhunt was launched in nearby areas such as Gaddafi Town, Shah Latif Town and Bhains Colony.
With Rangers, Special Security Unit (SSU), Special Response Force (SRF) and the local police, all participating in the operation, the authorities have since secured the prison connection and officials confirmed that the situation inside is now under control.
A complete number of staff and verification process is ongoing to identify anyone who escaped.
Investigators continue to assess whether recent earthquakes have contributed directly to jailbreak.
With concerns raised over the structural integrity of the plant after the shake, the prison authorities assess the site of further risks.
Earthquakes shaking
Karachi experienced 9 to 11 shivers over the past 48 hours with the strongest registration of 3.6 magnitude. The latest earthquake was recorded at 1 p.m. 23:16, shortly before the incident.
News sources have linked jailbreak to structural vulnerabilities caused by seismic activity.
Experts connected the shaking to underground tectonic movements and the release of seismic energy.
The epicenters of the earthquakes were concentrated in Malir, Quaidabad and DHA.
In fear of further earthquakes, many residents of Malir and the surrounding areas put up tents in open spaces and avoided sleeping indoors.
Women in affected neighborhoods spent large parts of Monday engaging in Quranic recitation for spiritual protection.
Read: Inmates flee from Karachis Malir -Prison to have broken the Wall
Previously, the authorities confirmed that 20 of the escaped inmates were re -captured, while the efforts to locate and withhold the others continued.
The area around the prison has been enclosed as part of an intensified manhunt.
According to initial reports, shots broke out near the prison after the escape attempt.
Police forces, helped by other law enforcement units, mobilized and quickly launched a large -scale search operation to understand refugees.
Police have called on citizens to avoid the area and report any suspicious activity immediately.
A formal examination of the security breach is expected when the situation is brought under control.
