Prisoners escape from British Virgin Islands jail in wake of Hurricane Irma

About 100 "very serious" prisoners have escaped from a jail on the British Virgin Islands in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

The convicts pose a "serious threat of the complete breakdown of law and order" on the islands, according to foreign minister Sir Alan Duncan.

Speaking to MPs in the Commons, Sir Alan said marines from RFA Mounts Bay were used to "protect the Governor and everything else about law and order" after the storm hit on Friday.

He also revealed that more than 500,000 British nationals have been in the path of the hurricane, and nearly 1,000 British military personnel are now in the Caribbean to help with the relief effort.
The announcement came as Boris Johnson travelled to the Caribbean to visit the British overseas territories battered by Irma.

During a stopover in Barbados, on his way to Anguilla, the Foreign Secretary told Sky News he was expecting Prime Minister Theresa May to announce "tens of millions" of pounds in more aid to the stricken islands.

Video:
UK government responds to criticism over Irma
"We are making a big difference to the lives of these people. The reason I am here is because these are British people and we want to show our support not just for the short term, but for the long term as well," he added.

He rebuffed criticism of Britain's response, saying: "We had RFA Mounts Bay in position in the region before the hurricane struck - it would have been totally absurd to bring troops in or bring heavy aircraft during the storm itself."

He added that the number of troops would go up to 1,250 in the next few days.