Six Ohio corrections officers and some staff at a prison were put on paid administrative leave after two convicted killers tried to escape from death row by climbing a pile of snow in an exercise yard.

Inmates Richard Cooey of Summit County and Maxwell White of Ashland County were the first death row inmates to attempt an escape since Ohio moved death row to Mansfield in 1995.

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction officials declined to identify the workers at Mansfield Correctional Institution during an internal investigation.

"At this point, they were placed on leave because things we have discovered thus far lead us to believe they were not carrying out their job duties," department spokeswoman Andrea Dean said.

Cooey and White were in the caged recreation area about 3:45 p.m. Thursday when they climbed a pile of snow and lifted the top off the cage, authorities said.

White was caught trying to climb the first of two perimeter fences, while Cooey was between the two fences when officers reached him, said Scott Basquin, warden's assistant. Each inmate had only minor cuts and scrapes, he said.

Alarms went off when the inmates climbed the fences, Dean said.