Brazil bank robbers use hostages as human shield

Bank robbers in Brazil have escaped from police after using hostages as a human shield.

A ten-strong gang of gunmen stormed into the bank in the morning and forced all workers and clients out, lining them up to form a wall that prevented police from firing at them.

Five robbers stayed outside the branch, firing into the air, while the rest of the gang emptied the vaults of the bank in the small city of Campo Novo do Parecis.

After the robbery, the robbers exchanged gunfire with the police and escaped in cars with some of the hostages, dropping them off in the middle of a road later.

Nobody was injured, but the gang set the bank on fire and destroyed security cameras.

Police say they are still hunting for the suspects. The amount of money stolen has not been revealed.