At least 100 inmates 'escape jail in British Virgin Islands' after Irma

The effects of Hurricane Irma hitting the British Virgin Islands has allowed more than 100 prisoners to escape from prison, WIC News understands.

Reports from Tortola, where the prison is was blown open in the storm, state that armed guards kept prisoners back before they were let go.

The prison, which is believed to house up to 200 inmates, is just one of the many structures devastated by Hurricane Irma. More than US$1.3 billion of damage has been caused to the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

At least five people have died in the BVI as Irma crossed the region.

Anguilla, another British overseas territory, was hit by the hurricane on 6 September. Four people have been confirmed dead.

The Turks and Caicos Islands saw roofs ripped off buildings and flooding, as well as fallen trees and power lines. Montserrat was ‘swiped’ by Irma but escaped the worst.

The eastern Caribbean islands of Barbuda, St Martin and St Barthelemy suffered horrendous damage, with Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, stating that Barbuda was “barely habitable”.

A British Foreign Officer minister said earlier today that there had been a "serious threat of the complete breakdown of law and order".

The speed of the UK’s response to Hurricane Irma has become a political issue in Britain, with the opposition describing it as "too little and too late”.

Allen Chastanet, prime minister of Antigua, has said his nation is willing to house prisoners from the BVI – but that Britain has not taken up the offer.