Prisoners escape jail after earthquake
Listen to the story (Hong Kong accent)
More than 200 prisoners escaped from a large jail in Karachi, Pakistan on Tuesday. This happened after an earthquake shook the area.
Thousands of prisoners inside Malir Jail felt the ground move strongly. They were scared the building would fall down, so they broke doors and the locks on doors. They also broke windows to get out.
Police said that 80 of the escaped prisoners were caught. But more than 130 prisoners are still free. During the incident, one prisoner died, and two prison officers were hurt.
A prison worker said that prisoners started yelling around midnight. They were very afraid the jail would fall down. When the incident became violent, police fired guns into the air as a warning.
Many prisoners went back to their cells. However, 216 prisoners ran to the main gate and tried to escape.
Now, police are visiting homes where the escaped prisoners used to live. They want to arrest prisoners who are still missing.
Malir Jail is in the Sindh province. It is the second biggest prison there. The jail is too full. It can hold 2,200 prisoners, but currently, about 5,000 prisoners are living there.
The minister of prisons in the province, Ali Hassan Zardari, asked for an investigation. He said that any officers who did something wrong will be punished.
A prison worker said the escape was not a security problem, but a natural disaster. He also said that the security teams were ready and worked hard during the earthquake.
Outside the jail, families of prisoners are protesting. They are angry because they are not allowed to visit the jail now.
Vocabulary31 words
- Prisoner
- A person kept in prison/jail because they broke a law; a person who is kept in prison as a punishment; a person who is under the control of someone else and not physically free
- Escape
- To get away from danger or something scary; to get away or run away from a place you are held; to get away from the police
- Jail
- a place where people are held/kept as punishment for a crime; a building for bad people
- Earthquake
- a natural event where the ground shakes and moves suddenly and strongly, caused by the movement of rocks deep beneath the earth's surface
- Shake
- To move quickly back and forth
- Area
- A place or part of a place; piece of land, or country; a particular part of a place; somewhere
- Thousands
- a number more than 1,000, but less than 10,000
- Ground
- floor; earth; solid surface; dirt
- Scared
- Feeling afraid; frightened; the feeling when something scares you
- Lock
- something that keeps a door or gate closed; ?
- Catch
- To capture or trap something; Grab something or someone; to take something that doesn’t want to go with you
- Free
- Not held or kept by anyone; you can do anything you want; nobody controls you
- Incident
- event; situation; something that happened; occurrence
- Officer
- a person who works to keep people safe, like a police officer or a prison worker.
- Yell
- To shout loudly; to scream; to talk very loudly in an angry way
- Violent
- using or involving force to hurt or attack; the use of physical force to cause harm
- Fire
- To shoot a gun
- Cell
- a small room in a prison/jail where a prisoner stays or sleeps
- Main
- the most important or the biggest;
- Gate
- a door or entrance to a place, like a stadium or a park
- Used to
- Refers to something that happened regularly in the past but doesn't happen anymore; in the past
- Arrest
- If the police arrest you, they take charge of you and take you to a police station; to use the power of the law to take and/or hold someone; detain; apprehend
- Province
- a smaller part or region within a country, like a state or territory
- Currently
- happening right now; At the present time; now
- Minister
- a government person in charge of a department; government secretary; politician
- Investigation
- the action of examining/studying something carefully to learn the truth about it; a thorough search for facts; study; analysis
- Punish
- discipline; penalize; To make someone suffer for doing something wrong by hurting them, forcing them to pay money, or sending them to prison
- Security
- protection/safety of a person, building, organization, or country against threats such as crime or attacks
- Natural disaster
- A big and powerful event in nature that causes damage, like a storm or earthquake
- Protest
- an event where people come together to show strong disapproval/disagreement about something; demonstration; rally; to fight against
- Allowed
- permission to do something; it’s OK; permitted; you may; you can
Quiz
Answer key
1. An earthquake 2. Less than 2,500 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
More than _____ prisoners escaped from a large jail in Karachi, Pakistan on Tuesday. This _____ after an earthquake shook the area.
_____ of prisoners inside Malir Jail felt the ground move _____. They were scared the building would fall down, _____ they broke doors and the locks on doors. They also broke _____ to get out.
Police said that 80 of the _____ prisoners were caught. But more than _____ prisoners are still free. During the incident, one prisoner died, and two prison _____ were hurt.
A prison worker said that _____ started yelling around midnight. They were very afraid the jail would fall _____. When the incident became violent, police fired _____ into the air as a warning.
Many prisoners went back to _____ cells. However, 216 prisoners ran to the main gate and _____ to escape.
Now, police are visiting _____ where the escaped prisoners used to live. They want to arrest prisoners _____ are still missing.
Malir Jail is in the Sindh province. _____ is the second biggest prison there. The jail is too full. It can hold _____ prisoners, but currently, about 5,000 prisoners are living _____.
The minister of prisons in the province, Ali Hassan Zardari, _____ for an investigation. He said that any officers who did something wrong _____ be punished.
A prison worker said the _____ was not a security problem, but a natural disaster. _____ also said that the security teams were ready and _____ hard during the earthquake.
Outside the jail, _____ of prisoners are protesting. They are _____ because they are not allowed to visit the jail _____.
Discussion questions
- Do you think it's fair that the prison leader called the escape a "natural disaster" and not a "security problem"? Why or why not?
- If you were a prisoner during the earthquake, what would you do? Would you try to escape?
- The jail holds more prisoners than it should. What problems can this cause?
- Do you think the police did a good job in controlling the situation? Why or why not?
- What do you think should happen to the officers if the leaders say they made mistakes?
- If you were a family member of a prisoner, how would you feel about not being allowed to visit after this incident?
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