Police, inmates stand-off at Christmas Island detention centre ends

A stand-off between detainees and police at a migrant detention centre on Christmas Island has ended, Australian immigration authorities have said.

The immigration department said all areas of the facility were now under "full and effective control" after negotiations with the detainees.

The disturbances began on Sunday after a detainee who had escaped the camp was found dead outside.

Inmates lit fires inside and barricaded themselves in a compound with weapons.

Immigration authorities said five detainees had non life-threatening injuries or medical conditions, but it was not clear whether they were sustained over the last three days of unrest or after police moved in.

The unrest started when a group of Iranian inmates staged a protest about the death of an Iranian Kurd, Fazel Chegeni.

Police reinforcements arrived at the detention centre early on Tuesday to restore order. Reports said a hard core of detainees were confronting guards and refusing to return to their cells.

"Some force was used with a core group of detainees who had built barricades and actively resisted attempts to secure compounds, including threatened use of weapons and improvised weapons," authorities confirmed in a statement.

Some common areas appear to be severely damaged, it added.