Gunmen raid Zamboanga jail, help in 7 inmates' escape

ZAMBOANGA CITY ,Philippines  – Unidentified armed men stormed the provincial jail, rescued seven detainees while two others were killed, including a jail guard and an inmate, yesterday afternoon in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, according to police officials.

Another jail guard was wounded during the raid that started with the jailbreak about 1 p.m. in Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Jail in San Jose District.

Senior Superintendent Elmer Escosia, police provincial chief of Zamboanga del Sur, said undetermined number of gunmen barged into the provincial detention center and helped the escape of the seven inmates.

Escosia said one of the jail personnel and another inmate were killed in the ensuing firefight before the seven detainees were able to bolt their cell and escaped.

Names of the slain inmate and jail guard were not immediately known.

Escosia said the personnel of the provincial jail were also establishing the identities of the escapees and the group they belonged to, as pursuit operation has been launched by the combined police and military forces to recapture those who bolted and escaped.

Escosia said the police were also establishing if the slain inmate was a member of those inmates who escaped.