Jeffrey Epstein kills himself in US prison

Disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein has committed suicide in prison while awaiting trial on charges that he trafficked girls as young as 14 for sex, US news media reported yesterday.

Epstein, a convicted sex offender who befriended numerous politicians and celebrities over the years, hanged himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, The New York Times and other media said, quoting officials.

His body was found around 7:30 am (1230 GMT) yesterday and taken to a hospital in New York, added the reports.

The city medical examiner's office confirmed Epstein's death but said nothing about what caused it or the time of death. It said a medical investigation has been opened.

The 66-year-old's death comes just over two weeks after he was found unconscious in his cell with marks on his neck after an apparent suicide attempt.

Prosecutors said Epstein sexually exploited dozens of underage teenagers, some as young as 14, at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, between 2002 and 2005. They claim that Epstein was "well aware that many of the victims were minors."

The girls were paid hundreds of dollars in cash to massage him, perform sexual acts and to recruit other girls, prosecutors allege.