Bank robbers flee 20-storey US prison

on 19/12/2012 11:47:30

Two bank robbers have escaped an American city centre jail by climbing down 20 stories on a makeshift rope.

Joseph "Jose" Banks and Kenneth Conley are the first inmates to flee Chicago's Metropolitan Correctional Centre in nearly 20 years. They remain at large.

Exactly when they escaped is unclear. The FBI said they were present at a 10pm headcount on Monday.

The US Marshals Service said they were not there at a 5am count on Tuesday.

The FBI said another count was conducted around 7am after staff noticed the rope hanging from the cell window.