Sierra Leone has been placed under a nationwide curfew as armed men broke into a prison, setting inmates free.
Detainees from Central Pademba Road prison in the capital city Freetown were released on Sunday morning, an official at the facility told BBC News.
Earlier on, the gunmen had attacked a major military barracks in the city.
Residents reported hearing gunshots at the barracks, which are close to the presidential residence.
After the attack, the Ministry of Information declared an immediate curfew. Residents across the West African country are “strongly” recommended to stay indoors and flights to and from the nation’s only international airport have been cancelled.
President Julius Maada Bio said calm had been restored and a manhunt launched to find all of the gunmen.
However, the BBC’s Umaru Fofana, based in Freetown, reports that there is still disorder in the city.
He drove past soldiers carrying heavy weaponry in a seized police vehicle and saw others chanting that that they planned to “clean Sierra Leone”.
