Thousands of prisoners have escaped from the Wadi Natrun facility in north of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, amid the anti-government protests across the country, Press TV reported.
Inmates overwhelmed guards during the night, breaking out of the facility and spilling out into nearby towns and villages, AFP reported.
The report comes as the uprising against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's government entered its sixth day.
On Sunday, some 5,000 Egyptian prisoners also broke out of a penitentiary in Faiyum Governorate, located about 130 kilometers (81 miles) southwest of Cairo.