05 January,2017 09:06 AM IST | | Agencies
158 inmates flee as suspected Muslim rebels storm facility
Prison officials inspect the fence of the jail from where the inmates escaped, in Kidapawan. Pic/AFP
Kidapawan (Philippines): More than 150 inmates of a southern Philippine jail escaped when suspected Muslim rebels stormed the dilapidated facility in a pre-dawn raid yesterday, killing one guard, authorities said.
It was the biggest prison escape in the past decade at North Cotabato District Jail.
A two-hour-long fight broke out when over 100 armed men attacked the jail in Kidapawan city around 1 am (10.30 pm). At least 158 prisoners escaped. It was unclear how many of those were linked to the attackers.
The attackers are believed to be a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Six persons were killed in the manhunt launched thereafter.
