Pakistani officials and police said that more than 200 prisoners escaped from a prison in the city of Karachi, southern Pakistan, late Monday night after being allowed to leave their cells following a series of earthquakes.

The Minister of Legal Affairs of Pakistan’s Sindh province, Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjhar, told reporters at the scene that hundreds of prisoners were allowed to go out into the prison yard due to the earthquakes.

He added, “Panic prevailed here because of the earthquakes,” noting that it was difficult to control a crowd of about 1,000 people.

He continued that the prison escape began just before midnight Monday and lasted until the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The police said the prisoners seized weapons from the prison guards, which led to an exchange of gunfire before they stormed the main gate.