Prison break: Six dead after 528 flee immigration detention centre
Six migrants had died in a road accident linked to a pre-dawn escape involving 528 detainees from the Immigration Department’s temporary detention centre in Sungai Bakap, Penang, at 4.30am this morning.
In separate statements, Immigration Department director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud confirmed the escape and rearrests, while Penang police chief Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain confirmed the accident and deaths.
The final number of escaped detainees is...
Six migrants had died in a road accident linked to a pre-dawn escape involving 528 detainees from the Immigration Department’s temporary detention centre in Sungai Bakap, Penang, at 4.30am this morning.
In separate statements, Immigration Department director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud confirmed the escape and rearrests, while Penang police chief Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain confirmed the accident and deaths.
The final number of escaped detainees is lower than an initially reported figure of some 700 individuals, based on police estimates.
Khairul Dzaimee said as of 10am this morning 362 of the detainees have been found and taken back into custody.
It is understood there are a total of 663 migrants in detention at the temporary depot, mostly from the ethnic Rohingya community.
“Officers on duty have activated the standard operating procedures by contacting the police and related agencies to request assistance.
“Search for the remaining detainees is ongoing,” said Khairul Dzaimee in a statement.
He said the pre-dawn incident occurred after detainees broke the doors and grills
Meanwhile, Shuhaily confirmed that the six detainees had died in an accident along Kilometre 165 Plus Highway Southbound.
“The incident involved six deaths - two men, two women, a girl and a boy.
“So six died, and we are still searching for the remaining detainees,” Shuhaily told reporters in Penang.
No details were revealed on the cause of the accident or deaths.
Shuhaily, however, revealed that over 200 detainees were arrested on site while walking along the highway as they were afraid to try and make their way across after the accident.
He added that police were also assisted by local villagers who had spotted the detainees earlier this morning.
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