Immigration Detention Centre at Aripo (file photo)
Lawmen in Trinidad and Tobago are continuing their search for a Barbadian and three other people, who escaped detention on Friday.
The detainees, among them a Jamaica, Grenadian and Nigerian, escaped the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) where they were being held for immigration violations, according to media reports.
Their names have not been disclosed.
The four were discovered missing by a guard at the Aripo centre, who found that a steel door had been forced open while making his rounds,.
The illegal immigrants reportedly scaled a barbed wire fence and escaped into the nearby forested area.
A joint police, army and immigration search party extended their search to several areas yesterday with no success.
A statement issued by that country’s Ministry of National Security said the IDC detainees were not prisoners, but were being held until their individual matters were addressed.
“Following the escape, a joint manhunt exercise between the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Immigration Division was launched and is currently ongoing to recapture the detainees,” the ministry said, adding that steps were being taken to reinforce security at the centre to avoid a reoccurrence.