At least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital on Christmas Day after a rebellion, the country’s police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence continue to engulf the country.

Thirty-three prisoners died and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with the security forces, the police chief Bernardino Rafael added.

The prisoners fled during violent protests, that have seen police cars, stations and general public infrastructure destroyed after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the ruling Frelimo party as the winner of the Oct.9 elections.

The escape from the Maputo Central Prison, located 14 km southwest of the capital, started around midday Wednesday after “agitation” by a “group of subversive protesters” nearby, Rafael said, adding that prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from prison warders and started freeing other detainees.

“A curious fact is that in that prison we had 29 convicted terrorists, who they released. We are worried, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” said Rafael.

“They (protestors) were making noise demanding that they be able to remove the prisoners who are there serving their sentences”, said Rafael, adding that the protests led to the collapse of a wall, allowing the prisoners to flee.

He called for the voluntary surrender of the escaped prisoners and for the population to be informed about the fugitives.

Videos circulating on social media show the moment inmates left the prison, while other recordings reveal captures made by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in homes, but some were unsuccessful and ended up being detained.

One prisoner still with handcuffs on his right wrist says, in an amateur video, that he was in the disciplinary section of the maximum prison and was released by other inmates.

(AP)