Reports from Papua New Guinea say 26 prisoners escaped from Barawagi jail in Chimbu Province on Monday.
The Post Courier reports that warders lacked firearms to stop the jailbreak, and watched on helpless as the prisoners broke out through the fence system.
The prison command said that there were fewer warders than normal at the time as six others were transporting other prisoners to court in neighbouring Western Highlands province.
These other warders had the prison staff firearms.
Jail commander Superintendent Michael Auirap said corrections officers later captured four of the escapees on Monday.
One prisoner later surrendered to the police in Jiwaka Province.
Superintendent Auirap called on the people of both Simbu and Jiwaka province to help the corrections officers recapture the 21 still on the run.
Jailbreaks are fairly common in PNG, where corrections services and police routinely face resourcing shortfalls.
