Thirty-three inmates were killed and 15 others sustained injuries during a violent clash with the prison's security forces.

A prison riot in Mozambique's capital Maputo left 33 people dead and 15 injured, the country's police general commander Bernardino Rafael said on Wednesday, as civil unrest linked to October's disputed election continues.

Protests erupted on Monday in response to Mozambique's highest court confirming that the ruling Frelimo party, in power since 1975, had won October's presidential elections. Mr Rafael said groups of anti-government protesters had approached the prison in the capital Maputo on Wednesday.

Mozambique’s police chief has said that at least 6,000 inmates have escaped from a high-security prison in the capital on Christmas Day after a rebellion, as widespread post-election riots and violence continue to engulf the country.

At least 6,000 prisoners have escaped from a maximum security prison in Mozambique as widespread post-election riots and violence continue to engulf the country, officials said Wednesday. Thirty-three of them are said to have died during confrontations with the police and the military.