At least 22 inmates escaped Friday from a police jail in Bacoor, a town in Philippines' Cavite province, south of Manila, police said.

Police said the prisoners rushed out of the police jail's gate around 4:30 p.m. local time (0830 GMT) while a jail guard was taking a mugshot of an inmate.

Out of the 22 detainees, police said three had been re-captured. A manhunt has been launched to re-capture the remaining 19 inmates.