Maputo — A prisoner in the central Mozambican city of Beira died in hospital on Thursday, after being shot by prison guards, according to a press release from the national prison service.

The release claimed the incident happened when six prisoners in the Savane Penitentiary in Beira, left the jail under guard to take bags of rubbish to the local garbage dump.

Two of the prisoners took the opportunity to attempt to escape. According to the release, the guards first fired warning shots into the air.

When this had no effect, guards gave chase and continued to fire. Although the release says they were still firing into the air, one of the prisoners was hit.

He was taken to Beira Central Hospital where he died a few hours later.

The release does not say what happened to the second prisoner.