Over 200 Inmates Escape Karachi Prison After Earthquake Sparks Chaos
Karachi was hit by a big earthquake early Tuesday morning. At the same time, more than 200 prisoners escaped from the Malir Jail, which was a shocking and strange event. What began as pure fear in a prison that was already very crowded quickly turned into a full-scale jailbreak, which shocked the other prisoners and sent the police on the hunt for the escapees.
The earthquake startled everyone in Pakistan’s largest city, as well as the 5,000 inmates packed into a jail designed to house just 2,000 at about midnight. In an instant, fear and confusion spread through the jail walls.
The situation in the jail after the earthquake
According to officers on duty, inmates began screaming and shouting from their cells as the ground shook beneath them. Many believed the prison might collapse. Fueled by fear, hundreds began breaking down cell doors, smashing locks, and shattering windows. Some used debris to force their way past barricades and eventually made it to the main gate.
“It was chaos. The tremors caused panic, and the inmates thought they were going to die inside those walls,” said one prison officer, requesting anonymity.
As the situation escalated after the earthquake, correctional officers fired warning shots into the air in an attempt to control the crowd. While many inmates retreated to their cells when they heard the gunfire, over 200 saw the chaos as a window of opportunity and ran for their lives.
By morning, 216 prisoners had made it out. Since then, police have been conducting an intense manhunt. As of the latest reports, around 80 have been recaptured, but more than 130 are still on the run.
Tragically, one inmate lost his life during the escape, and two prison officers were injured in the struggle to restore order.
The second-largest prison in the area is Malir Jail, which is in the province of Sindh. It was already operating at more than double its capacity—a problem prison reform advocates have been warning about for years. Tuesday’s incident after the earthquake has once again thrown the spotlight on the dire state of Pakistan’s prison infrastructure.
“This isn’t just a security failure—it’s a ticking time bomb that finally exploded,” said one civil rights lawyer, reacting to the news.
Government actions after the incident
Still, the government isn’t taking the incident lightly. Ali Hassan Zardari, who is the Minister for Prisons in Sindh, has ordered a full probe. He promised that any officer found guilty of misconduct or negligence would be held accountable. It is a good remark from his side,
Outside the jail, families of inmates gathered, demanding information and answers. With visitation suspended until further notice, emotions ran high. “I haven’t been able to speak to my brother. No one is telling us what’s going on inside,” said one tearful relative at the prison gates.
Police have now expanded their search beyond the city, visiting the last known addresses of escapees, checking with families, and using surveillance footage to track their movements.
The officials are doing everything they can to keep things under control, but this prison break has caused people to talk more about how outdated and overcrowded the country’s prison system is. Experts say that unless changes are made to the whole system, things like this could happen all the time.
For now, people in Karachi are nervously watching as police continue their search, hoping that soon there will be peace and justice. The incident is not just a test of law enforcement but also a wake-up call for the country’s justice and prison systems to rethink how they operate under crisis.
For more information, follow us on social media.