Police hunting illegal immigrants who escaped in a mass breakout from a remote Australian detention center caught 14 more of them, leaving 10 still on the run, a spokesman said today.
There were growing fears for the health of the eight men and two boys still at large as temperatures in the desert around Woomera, a former missile-testing base in the outback, dipped below freezing last night and were expected to do so again today.
Prime Minister John Howard urged the remaining Woomera escapees to give themselves up to avoid another night out in the cold.
"Nobody wants people to be in detention and of course we don't want people exposed to the elements without food, and I would hope they could be encouraged to give themselves up," Mr Howard said in Sydney.
Police said it was possible the escaped inmates already have been taken out of the desert region by supporters who helped them break out last Thursday.
Police said today they had scaled down their search, and were investigating only suspected sightings of the escapees.
"They can't keep helicopters up this long," said police spokesman Colin Haigh.
AP