The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Monday that inquiries were under way after an attempted jailbreak overnight from the country's biggest prison.
Police had cordoned off the streets leading to the jail at the end of the morning, AFP journalists at the scene saw.
The circumstances around the bid to bust out of Makala prison in the capital Kinshasa remain unclear.
"There's an escape attempt at Makala central prison. Security services are on site to restore order and security," government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said Monday on X.
"The situation is under control," Muyaya told national Congolese television from Beijing, where he is part of the official delegation accompanying President Felix Tshisekedi to this week's China-Africa summit.
'Gunshots heard'
While witnesses spoke of having heard gunshots, authorities have not given any figures or information on prisoners who managed to escape.
Daddi Soso, an electrician aged in his 40s who lives in the area, told AFP he had woken in the night to the sound of gunfire.
"There were gunshots from 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning and until around 5:00 am," Soso said, visibly shaken.
"There were deaths, and there are people who fled," he said, adding he saw law enforcement vehicles transporting bodies.
'Acts of sabotage'
Justice Minister Constant Mutamba said on X that "inquiries (are) under way to identify and severely punish the sponsors of these acts of sabotage."
He also announced the transfer of prisoners to the prison was being suspended until further notice.
Makala prison, whose capacity is for 1,500 prisoners, holds between 14,000 and 15,000 detainees, according to official figures.
In 2017, more than 4,000 prisoners escaped from the facility after an attack by armed men at night.
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