Police nab naked 'bank robbers'

Hot weather in El Salvador led to unbearable heat in the tunnel

Police in El Salvador say they have exposed a planned bank heist after finding two naked would-be robbers digging a tunnel towards the vault.

The two men, covered in nothing but dust, were caught after part of the tunnel collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in the street near the bank.

They had apparently stripped off because of the heat inside the tunnel.

The area, in the capital San Salvador, had been under police surveillance after reports of mysterious noises.

"We have stopped a big-scale robbery," said the city's police commissioner, Wilfredo Avelenda.

He said the tunnel, which led to an abandoned house, had been worked on for several days and was nearing completion.

When part of the tunnel collapsed, near to the bank, the two men ran out in to the street to escape, but were arrested by a police patrol.

The pair - identified as Miguel Angel Crespin, 22, and Rafael Alberto Cerna, 18 - are to be charged with robbery, the police commissioner said.

Police spokesman Carlos Rugamas said the tunnel stretched for 75m (246ft).

Investigators exploring the tunnel afterwards said the heat inside was unbearable within just a few seconds, after weeks of particularly hot weather.