Murder Suspects Escape Jail Through 22-Inch Hole [PHOTOS]

Two murder suspects have reportedly pulled off an astonishing jail break in California escaping through a 22-inch hole dug by them.

Santos Samuel Fonseca, 21, and Jonathan Salazar, 20, crawled through a 22in (55cm) hole they cut in a toilet ceiling at the jail in the city of Salinas, south of San Francisco.

The local sheriff’s office said the men had exploited a “blind spot”.

The two were awaiting trial for separate murder charges when they escaped on Sunday.

“We’re disappointed that there are people charged with homicide who are no longer in our jail,” Jonathan Thornburg, a spokesman for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, said.

Authorities are still searching for the fugitives who are considered armed and dangerous.

See photos of how they escaped below: