MEXICO CITY: Mexico's most notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has escaped from his high security prison in central Mexico, the country's national security commission (CNS) said on Sunday.

Guzman was arrested last year by Mexican security forces. He also escaped from prison in 2001 after a prior capture in 1993.

As part of the operation to find Guzman, flights have been suspended from the city of Toluca's airport, near the Altiplano prison where he was housed, the CNS said.