MANILA - POLICE said a dozen inmates have escaped from a southern Philippine jail and that guards fatally shot one of them who was crawling out of a hole in the wall.

Police Director Bensali Jabarani of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said a manhunt had been launched for the fugitives, including a suspected Muslim militant, following Tuesday's jail break on southern Jolo island.

He said guards discovered the hole in the cell about 60cm in diameter just as an inmate was crawling out, prompting them to fatally shoot him. He said an investigation was under way.

Police said close to 100 inmates escaped last year in 28 jail breaks nationwide. -- AP