TAWAU: Sabah police are hunting down six illegal immigrants from the Philippines and one from Indonesia who fled while being quarantined at the Tawau Temporary Detention Centre (PTS) here, yesterday.
Tawau district police chief Assistant Commissioner Peter Umbuas said 14 detainees had escaped in the incident, but seven had been recaptured.
He said the 14 detainees were quarantined while waiting for the results of their Covid-19 screening.
"At 2am (yesterday), a supervisor at the PTS hall heard a worker screaming for help and he saw two detainees climbing the back fence in Block 4 and fleeing.
"Further investigation at the men's detention division in Block 1 found that 14 men had escaped, all of them PTS detainees waiting to be sent back to their countries of origin," he said in a statement here last night.
Peter identified the six Filipinos as Aidal Girol, 42; Basri Jumbli, 29; Mad Kadir Basir, 36; Dal Mujiral, 40; Talim Tipayan, 36; and Jaladi Benedi, 38, and the Indonesian, Anwar Awal, 35.
He said anyone with information on the incident should contact the nearest police station. - BERNAMA