Two jail inmates were reportedly killed while ten others were injured when police opened fire during an alleged jailbreak at a police station in Kachin state’s Mohnyin township early yesterday morning.

Locals in Mohnyin reported hearing gunshots around 2am on Tuesday.

“We’ve heard that cells in the police station were extremely overcrowded. We learnt that the [police] opened fire as detainees were attempting to breakout,” said a Mohnyin resident. “Two died on the spot and were buried immediately on the same morning. Ten other were sent to the hospital around 6am with injures.”

He said there have been rumours that authorities were disinterring the bodies to perform autopsies.

Mohnyin’s police station and the hospital were unavailable for comments.

Locals said the police station had four male cells and one female cell. Male detainees reportedly carried out the attempted escape.