Eight men on the run after audacious 'Shawshank' escape from US jail

Eight prisoners could be "frankly anywhere" in the US after breaking out of a New Orleans jail. Authorities have been left wondering - how did they do it?

The audacious escape saw 10 men flee the jail on Friday through a hole behind a toilet and scale a wall, in scenes reminiscent of The Shawshank Redemption movie.

The men are believed to have made their jailbreak while the lone guard assigned to their cell pod was away getting food.

While two have been recaptured, eight of the men - among them accused murderers - remain at large. Prison officials believe they may have had inside help.

Surveillance footage showed the escapees sprinting out of the Orleans Justice Centre, using blankets to scale a barbed wire fence and then sprinting across a nearby highway.

The absence of the men went unnoticed for more than seven hours - officers only learned of their escape the next morning during a routine headcount.

A photograph showing the hole the prisoners escaped through also revealed scrawled messages - including one saying "To Easy LoL" with an arrow pointing at the gap.

They ditched their jail uniforms after leaving the facility - and it is still unclear how some of them obtained regular clothes so quickly, officials said.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the men were able to get out because of "defective locks".

Sheriff Hutson said there are indications that people inside her department helped the fugitives escape.

"It's almost impossible, not completely, but almost impossible for anybody to get out of this facility without help."

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Who are the escaped men?

The men range from 19 years old to 42, with most being in their 20s.

One of the fugitives, Derrick Groves, was convicted on two charges of murder and two charges of attempted murder for his role in the 2018 Mardi Gras Day shootings of two men.

Another escapee, Corey Boyd, had pleaded not guilty to a murder charge.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said some of the men "have a history of witness intimidation of citizens who were brave enough to speak up".

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill called the escape "beyond unacceptable" and said local authorities waited too long to inform the public.

She said she reached out to neighbouring states to alert them about the escape, saying they have had plenty of time to get to "frankly anywhere across the country".