Forty-seven inmates have escaped from a maximum security prison in Liberia's Margibi County, a rural area east of the West African country's capital Monrovia, the justice ministry said on Monday.

Initial investigations suggested the inmates had managed to escape at the weekend because of a breach in the prison's security system, the ministry said.

"The Ministry of Justice is deeply concerned about this incident and is taking all necessary measures to ensure the recapture of the escaped inmates," it said in a statement.

The ministry said additional officers had been deployed to help with the search for the prisoners, and urged the public to remain calm and report any information that could lead to them being recaptured.

It called on the escaped inmates to hand themselves in at the nearest police station or to prison authorities to avoid facing additional charges.