JUNE 3, 2025
ISTANBUL: A powerful earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck southwestern Turkey on Tuesday, injuring dozens of people and causing panic among residents.
According to international media reports, strong tremors were felt in the Marmaris region, where people rushed out of buildings and onto the streets in search of safety.
The quake, which struck with considerable force, reportedly injured around 70 people, including a 14-year-old girl. Turkey’s interior minister said on social media that some of the injured had jumped from heights in an attempt to save themselves during the quake, causing damage.
Despite the chaos, authorities have confirmed that there has been no significant structural damage to residential buildings so far. Emergency services responded quickly, and rescue operations have been launched in the affected areas.
The seismic activity is the latest in a series of tremors to hit Turkey in recent months. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have urged citizens to remain calm and follow safety protocols.
ISTANBUL: A powerful earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck southwestern Turkey on Tuesday, injuring dozens of people and causing panic among residents.
According to international media reports, strong tremors were felt in the Marmaris region, where people rushed out of buildings and onto the streets in search of safety.
The quake, which struck with considerable force, reportedly injured around 70 people, including a 14-year-old girl. Turkey’s interior minister said on social media that some of the injured had jumped from heights in an attempt to save themselves during the quake, causing damage.
Despite the chaos, authorities have confirmed that there has been no significant structural damage to residential buildings so far. Emergency services responded quickly, and rescue operations have been launched in the affected areas.
The seismic activity is the latest in a series of tremors to hit Turkey in recent months. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have urged citizens to remain calm and follow safety protocols.
More than 200 prisoners break out of Pakistani jail after earthquake panic, says official
Prisoners ran through the area throughout the night, some of them barefoot, with police giving chase, local TV footage showed.
By REUTERS
JUNE 3, 2025
Paramilitary soldiers stand outside the district Malir jail after dozens of prisoners escaped from the jail on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, June 3, 2025.(photo credit: REUTERS/Akhtar Somroo)
More than 200 inmates escaped from a jail in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi late on Monday when they overpowered prison guards after being allowed to leave their cells following a series of earthquakes, local officials and police said.
The jailbreak began just before midnight and continued into the early hours of Tuesday after hundreds of prisoners were allowed into the courtyard of the District Malir prison because of the tremors, Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, the provincial law minister, told reporters at the scene on Tuesday.
Police said the prisoners snatched guns from prison staff and forced open the main gate after a shootout, evading paramilitary soldiers. At least one prisoner was killed and three guards wounded, said Provincial Police Chief Ghulam Nabi Memon.
"I heard the firing for quite some time and then some time later prisoners made their way out running in all directions," Bukhsh, a private security guard at a residential complex opposite the jail who goes by a single name, told Reuters.
He added that some of the prisoners entered the apartment complex before being taken away by police.
More than 200 inmates escaped from a jail in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi late on Monday when they overpowered prison guards after being allowed to leave their cells following a series of earthquakes, local officials and police said.
The jailbreak began just before midnight and continued into the early hours of Tuesday after hundreds of prisoners were allowed into the courtyard of the District Malir prison because of the tremors, Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, the provincial law minister, told reporters at the scene on Tuesday.
Police said the prisoners snatched guns from prison staff and forced open the main gate after a shootout, evading paramilitary soldiers. At least one prisoner was killed and three guards wounded, said Provincial Police Chief Ghulam Nabi Memon.
"I heard the firing for quite some time and then some time later prisoners made their way out running in all directions," Bukhsh, a private security guard at a residential complex opposite the jail who goes by a single name, told Reuters.
He added that some of the prisoners entered the apartment complex before being taken away by police.
Members of media are seen through a broken glass window inside the premises of the district Malir jail after dozens of prisoners escaped from the jail on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, June 3, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Akhtar Somroo)
On Tuesday, a Reuters reporter who visited the prison saw shattered glass and damaged electronic equipment. A meeting room, for prisoners to see their families, had been ransacked. Anxious family members had gathered outside.
The jailbreak was one of the largest ever in Pakistan, Lanjar said. The prison, which houses 6,000 inmates, is in the Malir district of Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city.
Prisoners ran through the area throughout the night, some of them barefoot, with police giving chase, local TV footage showed. About 80 of those who escaped had been caught, said Murad Ali Shah, the provincial chief minister.
Not all of the prison's inmates escaped
The jail's superintendent, Arshad Shah, told reporters that there were 28 prison guards on duty at night, and that "only a few of such a large number of prisoners escaped". He said the prison did not have security cameras.
Officials said the inmates, many of them heroin users, had been unnerved by the earthquakes.
"There was panic here because of earthquake tremors," said Lanjar.
The provincial chief minister said it was a mistake for prison authorities to have allowed the prisoners to leave their cells. He urged the inmates still at large to hand themselves in, or face a serious charge for breaking out.
"Petty crime charges will become a big case like terrorism," Shah said.
On Tuesday, a Reuters reporter who visited the prison saw shattered glass and damaged electronic equipment. A meeting room, for prisoners to see their families, had been ransacked. Anxious family members had gathered outside.
The jailbreak was one of the largest ever in Pakistan, Lanjar said. The prison, which houses 6,000 inmates, is in the Malir district of Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city.
Prisoners ran through the area throughout the night, some of them barefoot, with police giving chase, local TV footage showed. About 80 of those who escaped had been caught, said Murad Ali Shah, the provincial chief minister.
Not all of the prison's inmates escaped
The jail's superintendent, Arshad Shah, told reporters that there were 28 prison guards on duty at night, and that "only a few of such a large number of prisoners escaped". He said the prison did not have security cameras.
Officials said the inmates, many of them heroin users, had been unnerved by the earthquakes.
"There was panic here because of earthquake tremors," said Lanjar.
The provincial chief minister said it was a mistake for prison authorities to have allowed the prisoners to leave their cells. He urged the inmates still at large to hand themselves in, or face a serious charge for breaking out.
"Petty crime charges will become a big case like terrorism," Shah said.
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