300 migrants escape from Maltese detention centre

VALLETTA, June 22 (Reuters) Some 300 illegal immigrants escaped from an army-run detention centre in Malta but were rounded up and returned after protesting for their freedom, police said.

The refugees escaped from a converted barracks at Safi after pushing down a perimeter fence.

They walked towards the nearby airport perimeter fence where they were surrounded by army and police officers who convinced them to return to the detention centre.

The ringleaders of the breakout were arrested, the police said yesterday.

Under Maltese law, illegal immigrants may be detained for up to 18 months.

Some 5,000 migrants have landed on the island over the past five years, most of them mistaking the Maltese coast for Sicily.

Around 1,500 continue to live in crowded detention camps where they often complain of poor conditions. The rest have been granted humanitarian status or have been repatriated.

REUTERS VJ BST0430