Image used for representation.
JOLO, Philippines, Philippine police say 29 detainees escaped from a jail on southern Jolo island when a guard left his post but 17 of them were immediately captured when law enforcers fired warning shots.
Police say the 12 detainees who managed to escape successfully Saturday were mostly facing drug charges, adding police and troops were hunting them down.
A police report says the jailbreak was staged when a police guard left his post but other policemen sprang to action and arrested 17 of the escapees in a melee just outside the police jail, located in the Jolo townhall compound.
Abu Sayyaf extremists are active on Jolo Island in predominantly Muslim Sulu province, but those captured are detained in a better-secured jail in southern Zamboanga city or elsewhere.
