Several hundred people yesterday afternoon attacked the Narsingdi district jail and set its main building on fire, leading to the escape of a large number of prisoners.

There were 826 prisoners in the jail.

Witnesses said the attackers, carrying sticks and iron roads, broke open the main entrance to the jail around 5:00pm.

They broke a part of the boundary wall, vandalised the office of the jail superintendent and set ablaze the main building.

Abul Kalam Azad, jail superintendent of Narsingdi, last night said, "We could not stop the attack as only eight guards were on duty at that time. The attackers broke into the armoury and looted firearms."

Asked how many inmates fled, he said they could not ascertain the number till 9:00pm.

Azad said they did not get support from the law enforcers on time.

Mustafizur Rahman, superintendent of police in Narsingdi, said, "Soon after hearing about the incident, we sent a police team to the jail. But criminals put up barricades on their way to the prison at different places."

He said that they were trying to take the situation under control.

Till the filing of this report around 10:00pm, gunshots were heard in the jail area every 10 to 15 minutes.