BOSSASO, Somalia Nov 18 (Garowe Online) - A group of inmates have broken out of a jail in Bossaso, a bustling port city in northern Somalia’s Puntland region, Radio Garowe reported.

Col. Ali Nur Mohamed, Puntland’s prisons commander, confirmed to reporters that the escapees include pirates and murder suspects.

“Nine inmates escaped last night and the police are now searching for them,” Col. Mohamed told the press Tuesday morning.

He indicated that the inmates broke down a part of the jail's wall before escaping.

It was the second jail break this month in Puntland. Last week, an unknown number of inmates escape the central jail in the Puntland capital of Garowe after wounding four prison guards. READ: Inmates stage daring escape from Puntland jail

Puntland is a self-governing region in northeastern Somalia. The region has been relatively stable since the 1990s, but piracy and other crimes have been on the increase in recent months.

Source: Garowe Online