Manila – Unidentified gunmen attacked a provincial jail in the southern Philippines on Wednesday, killing one guard and allowing more than 150 inmates to escape, officials said.
Dozens of armed men stormed the North Cotabato Provincial Jail in the city of Kidapawan, 955 kilometres south of Manila, before dawn, said Superintendent Peter Bongat, the facility’s warden.
The suspects cut off electricity to the jail where more than 1,500 inmates were detained, before opening fire at the buildings, Bongat said.
“It was well planned,” he told a Manila radio station. “We have a manhunt operation.”
At least four inmates had been recaptured after the jailbreak, Bongat added.
Police officers and soldiers were dispatched to hunt down the escapees, while village officials were also helping in the operation.
Some of the inmates detained in the jail were suspected members of Muslim rebel groups in the southern region of Mindanao, according to Major Rafael Valencia, an army division commander.
The identity of the attackers has not yet been determined, but Muslim rebels have in the past launched jailbreaks to free detained colleagues.
– dpa
