Ten escape from New Orleans jail through hole in cell wall

The prisoners escaped from the Orleans Justice Centre in New Orleans (AP)

Ten men broke out of a New Orleans jail on Friday in an audacious overnight escape by fleeing through a hole behind a toilet and scaling a wall while the lone guard assigned to their cell pod was away getting food, authorities said.

Seven of the escapees, including suspects charged with murder, remain on the lam following the breakout that the local sheriff says may have been aided by members within the department.