Two convicted murderers who used power tools to break out of a maximum security New York prison may have had help, and left a taunting note for their jailors to "Have a nice day," authorities say.
More than 200 local, state and federal law enforcement officials set up roadblocks, took to the air and went door-to-door in their search for Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, who went missing early on Saturday morning (local time) from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, about 30km south of the Canadian border..
"We are leaving no stone unturned. They could be literally anywhere," New York State Police Major Charles Guess told a news conference.
New York is offering a $US100,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of the men it describes as dangerous, and have notified law enforcement in Canada and Mexico about the fugitives.
"We presume that they may have had access to a vehicle as well as they may have had assistance in their escape effort," Guess said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, in an interview with ABC's Good Morning America on Sunday, called the escape, the first at the prison in 150 years, "elaborate" and "sophisticated."
"The first order of business is to get these killers back. This was the first breakout since 1865 and I want to make sure it's the last," he said.
The two men in adjoining cells drilled holes in walls to break out of them. They then went through a series of catwalks and tunnels, breaking through steel to clear prison grounds and escaping through a manhole on a nearby street, officials said.
They used clothing to make it look like they were in their beds. Authorities have found some of the simple instruments used in the escape but not the power tools needed for the most difficult parts of the operation.
"We don't yet know how they acquired the tools," Anthony Annucci, acting commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections, told a news conference on Saturday as authorities checked to see if the tools came from contractors working for the prison.
Matt is serving 25 years to life for kidnapping, murdering and dismembering a man.
Sweat is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for killing a sheriff's deputy. Police said he shot the deputy nearly two dozen times.
