This is the dramatic moment prison inmates used a rusty saw to hack through their prison cell and escape – while the guard had a toilet break.

Footage shows the inmates squeezing through the narrow gap between the metal bars in Quezon City in Manila, the Philippines, on January 7.

After the fourth inmate successfully let himself out, two police officers arrived and seems confused about what was happening.

A convict who was still struggling to squeeze through the gap gave up and turned back when he saw the officers approaching.

The four escaped prisoners left the station through the front door while the police officers were at the back of the building.

The on-duty officer who was assigned to guard the detention cell was reportedly ‘scolded with the fury of hell’ by his bosses.

He grovelled that he went to the toilet for a break and was surprised that some of the inmates had already gone when he returned.

He said: ‘When we returned, some of them had already escaped and a portion of the metal bar was destroyed.’

The guards saw a small rusty hacksaw blade left inside the cell which they believe was used to cut the metal bar.

The men were identified as Glenn Louie Limin, Ronald Buenafe, Marvin Incio, and Joel Sanchez who had pending drug-related and robbery cases.

Officers are still searching for the escaped men while investigations are ongoing.