Four under-trial prisoners who were undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad have allegedly escaped during the wee hours on Thursday.

According to the police, the prisoners were admitted to Gandhi Hospital after they developed Covid-19 symptoms and later tested positive. They were put in a ward on the second floor of the hospital's main building.

"As the main building of the hospital consists of seven floors and there is a security check at every point, the prisoners cannot escape. However, they are missing. Search is underway," senior police official P Venkata Ramana told news agency ANI.

The prisoners reportedly escaped after breaking the window grill of a bathroom on the second floor.

The hospital premise is being checked if they are hiding inside somewhere. All police stations have been alerted, an official added.