Twenty members of ISIS escape Syria’s ‘Black Prison’ after earthquake devastates area

Some twenty former members of ISIS have escaped a prison located in Rajo in northeastern Syria after powerful earthquakes devastated the region and neighbouring Turkey

A man walks across the rubble of collapsed building towards a building still standing in Kahramanmaras (AFP/Getty)

At least twenty prisoners, believed to be jihadi militants, have escaped from a prison in Syria.

The escape was enabled by the recent earthquake that damaged the prison, a source at the facility told Agence-France Presse.

Known as the "Black Prison" the military police prison was located in the town Rajo, in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border. Controlled by pro-Turkish factions it holds roughly 2,000 inmates, of which about 1,300 are suspect of being former members Isis alongside fighters from Kurdish-lead forces.

The region was hit by two major earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.5 on the Richter scale at 4:17 am and 1:24pm local time causing widespread devastation. After the first earthquake hit the prison buildings were damaged with walls and doors cracking, providing prisoners with an opportunity.

"After the earthquake struck, Rajo was affected and inmates started to mutiny and took control of parts of the prison," an official at the prison told AFP. "About 20 prisoners fled, who are believed to be IS militants."

The escapees allegedly paid between $1000 and $10,000 for help escaping, according to sources that spoke to the the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The escape comes not long after an ISIS attack on a prison in Raqa, the group’s former de facto capital, which also aimed at freeing fellow jihadis.

The few remaining opposition held areas of Syria, concentrated in the country's north-east, where the earthquake struck have been very badly affected. The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defence described the situation there as “disastrous”.

In Turkey the President Recep Tayipp Erdogan has declared a state of emergency for three months.

The latest estimates of the death toll have now passed 5000 with at least 3,549 people killed in Turkey and over 1,600 killed in Syria. The death toll is expected to keep rising.

Countries from across the world have rallied to pledge aid to the countries and persons affected by the devastation. Britain will send 76 search-and-rescue specialists accompanied by sniffer dogs to Turkey help with efforts including finding people trapped in the rubble. The United States, China, and the European Union plus various member states are also contributing to relief efforts.