Photo of the three inmates. [people.com.cn]

BEIJING - Three inmates escaped in a rare jailbreak in China's northeast after killing a guard early Tuesday morning.

The escape from a jail in Yanshou county, Harbin took place about 6 am Tuesday, according to a report on the website of the Communist Party's flagship newspaper People's Daily. Police are searching for the fugitives with armed patrols, it said. The men were awaiting trial, but the report did not say on what charges.

The three donned police jackets and shirts as they left the jail, the report said.

No other details were given.