106 inmates escape as artillery shell hits Ukrainian prison

PanARMENIAN.Net - An artillery shell landed in a high-security prison in the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, sparking a riot in which 106 inmates escaped, local officials said, according to BBC News.

At least one prisoner was killed in the explosion and several were injured.

Ukrainian government artillery has been pounding areas on the outskirts of the city, held by pro-Russian armed men.

The Donetsk officials say several of the escaped inmates have now been returned to the prison. City council spokesman Maxim Rovensky said the fugitives included people jailed for murder, robbery and rape.

Ukraine is considering the possibility of allowing a humanitarian mission into the area, as residents struggle without power or reliable sources of food. Many are facing great hardship in Donetsk and the city of Luhansk, taking refuge in basements and bomb shelters.

Russia has proposed creating an aid corridor but the government in Kiev and Western powers fear that it could be used as a pretext to bring Russian military forces across the border.

Some 1,500 people are estimated to have died since the conflict began in April. The fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have fled to Russia. The unrest has also prevented a full investigation of the MH17 air disaster, in which 298 people died.