Fears Dangerous Armed Cons Fled Paradise Island Jail After Hurricane Irma

Around 40 prisoners classed as "high risk" are feared to be on the loose on the British Virgin Islands.

Forty "high-risk" prisoners were reportedly among a total of 120 cons who escaped and fled as Hurricane Irma bore down in the Caribbean.

A photo of what is believed to be a British Cabinet briefing paper has now revealed that officials are attempting to 'secure the transfer of the prisoners' to the island of St. Lucia.

Before the Cabinet get briefed!! read all about it before the PM does pic.twitter.com/WPmXCtHrz0

— Political Pictures (@PoliticalPics) September 12, 2017​

This latest news will do little to ease the plight of thousands of tourists and local residents already struggling to cope in the aftermath of the devastation caused throughout the Caribbean.

Earlier, in his latest video update, the son of Virgin tycoon Richard Branson warned inmates had now armed themselves after fleeing from jail.

Sadly there is more civil unrest in the #BVI and it's incredibly important if you are trying to get boats/aid there that you are going through official channels and finding out what is happening on the ground. It's also important that you have security of some kind on the boat. Heart broken beyond measure! 💔 #bvi #relief #civilunrest #beinformed #security #bvistrong @roryhoddell @joshuadanielbarwick

A post shared by Sam Branson (@bransonsam) on Sep 10, 2017 at 6:37am PDT

His comments came after a prison on Tortola — the largest of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean — had reportedly been blown open after the storm.

Tortola BVI under the full grasp of #HurricaneIrma now. Palms are horizontal but we've been spared a direct hit from the ferocious eye pic.twitter.com/Y8BsKpnKvi

— Jennifer Munro (@Jensteroramma) September 6, 2017​

Sources told Sky News that between 100 and 120 prisoners made the audacious escape from the jail.

Just chaired latest #HurricaneIrma COBR. UK gov't continues to work around the clock to help get the Overseas Territories back on their feet pic.twitter.com/JcJYrSdYV1

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 11, 2017​

Boris Johnson, the UK's Foreign Secretary, is set to fly to the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla to see for himself the scale of the destruction and scale of the relief aid required. No date has yet been given for the visit.