A prisoner died at the Mthatha High Court on Monday morning when 13 awaiting-trial prisoners briefly escaped.

The breakout happened inside the court buildings shortly before 8am as the prisoners were being taken to holding cells in the court complex.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela said: ‘’It is alleged that one of the prisoners drew a knife and charged at one of the escorting police officers. He stabbed the officer in the hands and badly injured him and tried to take his firearm.

 “The prisoners escaped in all directions into the court and tried to hide. They were fortunately all re-arrested.

 “One of them‚ armed with a knife‚ was fatally wounded.’’

The prisoners were involved in a number of cases including business robbery and killing a police officer in Libode in 2015.

Fatyela said that the case has been referred to the police watchdog‚ the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.

 An inquest docket has also been opened.