14 detainees in Covid-19 red zone Tawau escape, 7 recaptured

Kuala Lumpur: Fourteen detainees escaped from a temporary immigration detention centre in Tawau, Sabah this morning.

Tawau is among districts in Sabah placed under a targeted enhanced movement control order (TEMCO) after these became Covid-19 red zones.

According to Astro Awani, half of the escapees have since been recaptured.

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The group was among undocumented migrants from Indonesia and the Philippines being held pending Covid-19 test results prior to their deportation.

The breakout was detected around 2am today but only reported to the Tawau district police headquarters at 10.30am.

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Aside from Tawau, the government has also placed Semporna, Lahad Datu, and Kunak under the TEMCO that has since been extended until October 25.

Sabah has become the epicentre of the country’s third wave of Covid-19 cases, with hundreds of cases reported daily.

The rise in cases there has also been accompanied by a worrying increase in Covid-19 deaths, with six reported yesterday alone.