Manila  - Three people were injured when communist rebels raided a city jail in the southern Philippines and carted away firearms, army spokesmen said Thursday.

About 40 armed guerrillas swooped down on the jail Wednesday in Malaybalay City in Bukidnon province, 855 kilometres south of Manila, Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner said.

"A jail personnel, a worker and one inmate were wounded in the attack," he said.

The rebels seized three M16 rifles and two pistols from the jail's guards, he added.

Major Michele Anayron said the guerrillas would have taken more firearms but soldiers from a nearby outpost responded immediately and forced the rebels to flee.

He said troops chased the rebels but were blocked by a separate group on a nearby bridge where a brief firefight erupted until the guerrillas withdrew.

Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia. (dpa)