Death at British asylum centre sparks unrest

Riot police have surrounded a detention centre for refugees in England after staff were forced to retreat from a "serious disturbance…

Riot police have surrounded a detention centre for refugees in England after staff were forced to retreat from a "serious disturbance" sparked by the death of a detainee.

A Home Office spokesman said the trouble broke out at Harmondsworth centre, near London's Heathrow airport, after a detainee was found dead last night.

Police helicopters were seen hovering over the centre and dozens of police vans and a fire engine were reported outside the building.

The Home Office said the centre was now being brought under control.

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The centre, which holds about 500 people, is used to house people who have been detained by the immigration service for staying in the country illegally or having failed asylum applications.

The disturbance echoed troubles at Yarl's Wood centre in Bedford, southern England, in 2002, in which the centre was partly burned down.