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Ethiopian security forces in the southern part of the country have intensified a hunt to arrest hundreds of inmates who escaped a prison in Bule Hora town, more than 450km (280 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa, following an attack by armed men.

''Government forces are still searching,'' deputy mayor of the town Girja Urago told the BBC.

The prison was home to notorious inmates, including members of rebel groups who were arrested following military operations.

The attack, which happened early in the morning on Sunday, left five police prison guards and one civilian dead, authorities told the BBC.

''All of them have escaped. We estimate there were more than 480 inmates,'' the official said.

Oromo Liberation Army rebels have been blamed for the attack but there is no immediate comment from the group.

In the past, militant groups have claimed to have released ''political prisoners'' from other jails in the populous region of Oromia - home to Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.