Ten illegal immigrants escaped from a detention centre in Safi, breaking through a fence, yesterday afternoon.

The Home Affairs Ministry said the migrants charged the fence in the compound and broke through.

A flurry of military four-by-fours and detention service vans immediately took to the streets, accompanied later by screaming police cars and motorcycles. A military helicopter hovered overhead.

A resident who lives nearby said he had seen one of the migrants outside his house. Ian Abdilla said he heard the helicopter and looked out of the window only to see a migrant standing on a roundabout looking very confused and tired, as though he had run a very long distance. The migrant was spotted by an army patrol but he didn't seem to have the energy to run and he was soon apprehended by the soldiers.

Later in the evening, migrants clashed with the army and a fire was started.

The army sent soldiers to the detention centre and asked for assistance by the police. Sources said that as soon as the migrants saw the law enforcement officers assembling they started throwing things at them but no one was injured. The situation was soon brought under control after teargas was used and the protesting migrants were surrounded.

None of the illegal immigrants who escaped after their boat was beached at Marsaxlokk on Sunday have been caught yet.

Sources said the police are also looking for three of the five migrants who jumped off a military lorry when it stopped at the traffic lights while transporting them for questioning after their arrival in Marsaxlokk.

kbugeja@timesofmalta.com