Twenty-five Islamic militants serving long jail terms in Tajikistan have escaped from prison, killing guards and sparking fears they could cross into neighbouring Afghanistan, officials said on Monday.
The inmates broke free late on Sunday from a detention centre of Tajikistan's State Committee of National Security in the capital Dushanbe, attacking guards and seizing their arms, a representative of the committee told AFP.
"As a result, one of the guards was killed, 25 armed inmates escaped from jail, changing into fatigues," the official said, citing a statement.
Officials, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, described the inmates as Islamic militants convicted of terrorism and drug trafficking many of whom were serving sentences ranging from 30 years to life.
Following their prison break, the inmates raided a nearby detention centre of the justice ministry in the early hours of on Monday where they killed four guards and fled, the official said.
An official at the country's interior ministry, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the escapees went to the Rasht Valley in the east of the country, adding that most of them are from that region and know it well.
Authorities have beefed up security across airports, railway stations and roads and are planning to deploy armoured vehicles and special forces in the east to recapture the escapees, officials said.