Rockets slammed into a high-security prison on Monday in the rebel-held city of Donetsk, igniting a riot that allowed more than 100 prisoners to flee, authorities in eastern Ukraine said.

Donetsk City Council spokesman Maxim Rovinsky said a direct rocket hit killed at least one inmate and left three others severely wounded. In the chaos, he said, 106 prisoners escaped, including some who were jailed for murder, robbery and rape.

In the past week, Ukrainian government forces have intensified their military operations and surrounded Donetsk. Exchanges of rocket fire and deaths from shelling have become features of daily life, and hundreds of thousands have chosen to flee.

"Extremely dangerous prisoners are now free. It is hard to know the extent of the threat this poses to the city, which is flooded with weapons," Rovinsky said.

AP

(China Daily 08/12/2014 page12)