At least 17 male prisoners have reportedly been shot dead in Papua New Guinea during a mass jail break in which 77 people escaped.
The incident took place in Buimo jail in the city of Lae on Friday, but only became public after media reports on Monday.
The prison has seen at least one mass escape every year since 2014.
The bodies were being kept in a local hospital morgue, the Post-Courier newspaper reported. Lae police warned residents to expect an upsurge in crime and asked them to “remain vigilant.”
“These are undesirable people and will be a threat to the community,” Lae police commander Anthony Wagambie told the newspaper.
“The majority of those that escaped were arrested for serious crimes and were in custody awaiting trial,” he told local website Loop PNG.
Three people were re-captured, while 57 are still at large, he said, adding that police were planning to launch an operation to go after all the escapees.
Buimo jail, one of the largest prisons in the country, has been criticised in the past for overcrowding and for poor prisoner conditions.
Local broadcaster EMTV said in January that Buimo, which was designed to hold 400 prisoners, was holding 384 convicts and 476 detainees on remand.

source: stuff.co.nz