Karachi: Over 200 prisoners escaped in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi late on Monday after they were permitted to leave their cells following a series of earthquake tremors, local officials and police said.

Hundreds of prisoners were allowed into the courtyard of the jail due to the tremors, Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, the provincial law minister, told reporters at the scene.

"There was panic here because of earthquake tremors," said Lanjar, adding that it was hard to control a throng of up to 1,000 people. The jailbreak began just before midnight on Monday and carried on till the early hours of Tuesday, he said.

Police said the prisoners snatched guns from prison staff, leading to a shootout, and then forced open the main gate.