Nine inmates are understood to be on the run after escaping from Greenough Regional Prison on the outskirts of Geraldton in Western Australia, with three others already recaptured by police.
Police said a total of 12 men were believed to have escaped on Tuesday afternoon during a "disturbance" at the facility on Edward Road in Narngulu, about 400 kilometres north of Perth.
Smoke was seen coming from the jail during the disturbance.
After initially saying four inmates had been recaptured, police said late on Tuesday night that only three were back in custody.
"A large police operation is currently underway to ensure public safety and apprehend the outstanding escapees," a spokeswoman said.
"Police are urging the public to lock all doors and windows and if driving in the area to keep doors locked.
"WA Police are sending resources from Perth and various regional stations to support local officers.
"If you see anything suspicious please call police on 131 444, or in the event of an emergency and have concerns for your welfare call triple zero."
Text, phone alerts issued to residents
Police were notified about the disturbance around 4:30pm on Tuesday and issued a warning about an hour later that inmates may be in the surrounding area.
Alerts have since been sent to residents via text messages and automatic phone calls, telling them to lock up and report anything suspicious.
Witnesses reported seeing smoke and spotlight beams coming from the prison during the disturbance, as well as hearing yelling and the sound of a megaphone.
Roads leading to the facility were blocked, while an ambulance entered the prison earlier in the evening.
It is not known if any of the escapees are considered dangerous.
Union blames prison understaffing, overcrowding
Responding to the breakout, the WA Prison Officers Union (WPOU) said the State Government was warned about "unsustainable" staffing at regional prisons during a meeting with the Justice Department earlier in the day.
WAPOU acting secretary Paul Ledingham said understaffing was a statewide issue.
"They need to act now and they need to fund what is an overcrowded prison population statewide," he said.
"There are no savings to be made by reducing the number of prison officers in prisons across the state, because this is the outcome."
Greenough prison is designed to hold 223 inmates.
However, a report by the Inspector of Custodial Services Neil Morgan at the start of 2017 found the facility was holding 323 prisoners at the time, meaning it was operating at almost 150 per cent of its capacity.
It found relations between staff and inmates had fallen to such a low level, they were posing a security risk.
"The increase in prisoner numbers, the declining budget and the need to do more with less is creating pressures at the prison," Mr Morgan said.
There were more concerns about overcrowding at the prison last year when it was revealed some inmates were being forced to sleep on the floor.
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