Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds blew off part of Mzimba Prison building on Sunday morning.

Northern Region Prison spokesperson Austin Mwasangwale said the most affected sections were the office block and hall.

Mwasangwale said cell blocks had not been affected, although computers, furniture, files and other items had been destroyed.

“The rains, accompanied by strong winds, came at around 10:00pm and surprised us.

“Following the incident, we tightened security to make sure that inmates did not escape and that they were protected from any harm,” Mwasangwale said.

He said authorities at Mzimba Prison were assessing the damage.

Meanwhile, Mwasangwale has announced that Mzuzu Prison has registered three new cases of Covid-19, bringing the number of affected inmates to 25.

Mwasangwale said Mzuzu Prison conducted a 14-day mass screening exercise which was completed last Friday.

He said authorities at the prison had tightened Covid-19 precautionary measures to arrest the spread of the virus.