19 prisoners on the run after violent jailbreak in Rawalakot

At least 19 inmates escaped from Rawalakot Jail of Poonch District, Azad Kashmir after taking the police personnel hostage, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

According to police, the escaped prisoners included dangerous criminals.

 A shootout exchange occurred between police and prisoners on the outskirts of the city, killing one inmate.

The police officials stated the prisoners opened fire on cops, injuring one inmate who was arrested and succumbed later.

The escapees reportedly overpowered a policeman at gunpoint before engaging in a shootout with police.

The situation escalated as the most dangerous among the fugitives, including death row inmates, managed to flee.

In response, authorities have heightened security across the district and cordoned off the city of Rawalakot.

The police are working to track down the fugitives and restore order in the area.

The police have released a list of the escaped prisoners and a heavy contingent has been deployed in the area.

A search operation is underway to recapture the fleeing inmates, SSP Rawalakot said.

According to police, the deceased prisoner identified as Khayyam was arrested on drug-related charges

The district jail staff has been taken into custody, and an investigation is underway.

AFPadds: 

Twenty detainees, some accused of terrorism, staged a prison break in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Sunday, officials told AFP, adding that one was "killed in the crossfire" during the escape.

"The inmates had a revolver that they used to hold a sentry hostage," said Badar Munir, an official with the regional ministry of interior.

"It is unclear whether they seized it (the weapon) from jail officials or if it was brought in from outside," Munir added.

The incident took place at the Poonch district jail in Rawalakot city, about 110 kilometres (68 miles) south of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

"In total, 20 people escaped from the prison. One was killed in the crossfire, while 19 others remain at large," the inspector general of Kashmir prisons, Waheed Ali Gillani, told AFP.

A senior local police official, Riaz Mughal, told AFP that police had blocked the entry and exit points of Rawalakot, and a search operation was currently under way to locate the escapees.

Prisons in Pakistan are notorious for overcrowding, poor conditions, corruption and human rights violations. Additionally, slow judicial processes contribute to prolonged stays for prisoners.

Militant groups have organised several mass jailbreaks in Pakistan in the past, including one in the northwestern town of Bannu in 2012 that sprung 400 prisoners.