Lebanese authorities are hunting for five prisoners who escaped from the country's main prison Saturday. Most of the fugitives are members of a radical group said to be inspired by the al-Qaida terror network.

The five men escaped from a ward of the Roumieh prison, northeast of Beirut.

Authorities said most, if not all, of the escapees are believed to be members of the Fatah al-Islam group.

Militants from Fatah al-Islam waged a deadly battle with the Lebanese army in 2007. About 400 people died during unrest that began when the radical group led an uprising at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.