Five inmates have escaped from a prison, in Thailand’s north-eastern province of Buri Ram, after about 100 prisoners staged a riot and set fire to prison some buildings.

One escapee was later recaptured, as police issued a stern warning to anyone sheltering the escaping prisoners.

Pol Maj-Gen Akkaradet Pimonsri, deputy commissioner of Third Region Provincial Police Bureau, said that the riot and prison break was triggered by a false rumour, circulated within the prison, that some of the inmates are infected with COVID-19.

The riot began at about 11.30am, with some of the prisoners setting fire to buildings. Under cover of the chaos, several prisoners made their break for freedom.  Fire trucks were called in, as the police entered the prison to help prison guards to quell the riot.

There are about 2,100 inmates in the prison, but only about 100 were involved in the riot, said Pol Col  Krisana Pattanacharoen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police today, adding that police are in the process of examining CCCTV images in an attempt to identify the escape routes of the five escaped convicts.