Local security officials say dozens of al-Qaeda militants have escaped from a jail in southern Yemen.
The officials said the prisoners escaped after the jail in the city of Mukhalla, on the Arabian Sea, was attacked by heavily armed militants.
One guard was reportedly killed and several wounded during the attack. The prisoners who escaped reportedly included militants convicted on terror charges.
Yemen which is fighting al-Qaeda-linked militants in the south has been in a state of upheaval since protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime erupted in January.
Saleh is currently in Saudi Arabia where he is recovering after undergoing medical treatment for wounds received in a bomb blast in his palace earlier this month.
compiled from agency reports
The officials said the prisoners escaped after the jail in the city of Mukhalla, on the Arabian Sea, was attacked by heavily armed militants.
One guard was reportedly killed and several wounded during the attack. The prisoners who escaped reportedly included militants convicted on terror charges.
Yemen which is fighting al-Qaeda-linked militants in the south has been in a state of upheaval since protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime erupted in January.
Saleh is currently in Saudi Arabia where he is recovering after undergoing medical treatment for wounds received in a bomb blast in his palace earlier this month.
compiled from agency reports
