Manila -- Suspected Muslim rebels stormed a jail in the southern Philippines early yesterday with grenades and rockets, blasted a hole in its wall and helped 46 prisoners escape, authorities said.

Some of those who escaped were men arrested for bomb blasts in the volatile southern region of Mindanao, where at least four Islamic separatist groups operate.

At least 25 heavily armed men attacked the jail in Kidapawan City, 960 kilometres south of Manila, and freed the prisoners in a 15-minute operation, said Federico Dulay, police chief of the North Cotabato province.

CTVglobemedia © Copyright 2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.