Search Launched for Escaped Inmates after Riot

An overnight riot on Wednesday in the immigration detention centre at Sangonera la Verde, Murcia, resulted in five police officers being injured and dozens of inmates escaping the facility.

The riot began at around 20:30 when inmates seized fire extinguishers and hoses and used these items against the officers to force their way out. As a result, five of the officers suffered injuries, including upper extremity fractures and dislocations.

An alert was immediately raised with support and ambulances rushing to the scene. The end result is that 67 of the 130 immigrant inmates escaped.

During the course of the night 28 escapees were rounded up, mainly in the Cartagena and Alcantarilla areas, a lot of whom were found hiding in fields leaving almost 40 still at large.

All security services are now combining efforts to locate and capture those missing, which will result in intensifies roadblocks around the area and surrounding regions.

Be aware of these check points and the reason for them and, as always, if you see one please do not share the information through social networks. If you are stopped, stay calm, respond to the instructions of the officers, remember “nothing to hide, nothing to fear”, whilst all attempts are made to capture those who have absconded and return them to the justice system.