Fifty inmates and 12 police died in a prison escape organized by the Islamic State group, Iraqi officials said on Saturday, while supporters of the group acknowledged it staged the breakout but gave different details.

After a riot erupted, dozens of prisoners escaped from the Al-Khalis facility, about 80 km northeast of Baghdad, security and police officials said.

Militants of the Islamic State group, which is sometimes known by the acronym ISIS, broke in with the help of explosives to free 30 inmates and get into the jail's weapons stores, said Amaq News Agency, which supports the group.