Ten prisoners, several of whom faced murder, have escaped from New Orleans prison and may have helped staff inside the facility.

The prisoner was believed to have fled around midnight and was found missing Friday morning at 08:30 local time at Orleans Parish Prison (13:30 GMT). One of 10 has been recaptured.

“No one left the facility without help,” Sheriff Susan Huston said in a news conference.

The sheriff's office released photos showing how the inmates escaped, including sarcastic messages left by apparently escapists. Read a message.

Police said a prisoner was arrested in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said the other nine were considered "armed and dangerous", adding that one person was continuing.

Louisiana Policeman considered an Escapee as Kendall Myles of Central New Orleans after a surveillance camera shot through facial recognition technology.

Police said he tried to escape on foot and was arrested and then hid under a car in the parking lot.

He was sent back to Orleans Parish Prison and was "rebooked at the facility for new simple escape charges," it said in a statement.

The New Orleans Police Department posted names and photos of other escapees in a post on X.

The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office initially said 11 inmates escaped from the facility, but the number was modified to 10 late Friday.

Sheriff Hutson said the inmates pulled the sliding door from the prison cell at 00:23 on Friday morning (05:23 GMT).

About half an hour later, they left the prison after tearing the toilet off the wall and breaking the metal strip around a hole in the wall.

Then they climbed up the wall and crossed the highway, the sheriff said.

The Sheriff’s Office released images of holes in the wall, which showed the pipe fixtures before the toilet was torn off. These photos indicate the "clean cut" on the metal rods, which helps them escape.

The photos also show messages on the wall apparently left by the prisoner.

These photos show the message of the pen, which includes "Easy to Laugh", with arrows pointing to the hole. It also shows a smiling face with the tongue exposed and another information partly stained, which seems to tell the officer to catch the prisoner if possible.

New Orleans Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said the prisoner's escape was an "emergency and serious situation" and encouraged the public to report any suspicious activity.

She said some victims of escapees had been notified, adding that several were facing murder and other violent charges.

Supt Kirkpatrick said prisoners may be helpful and are unlikely to still be wearing prison uniforms, warning that anyone who helps prisoners will be charged.

She added that the FBI and the U.S. Marshal also joined the local police for the search.

The Orleans Parish Prison is located near the city center, about 3 km (2 miles) from the city's famous French Quarter.