Indian man escapes Australian immigration detention centre

An Indian man facing deportation has escaped from an Australian immigration detention centre in Melbourne by climbing over a fence, a media report said on Thursday.

The 26-year-old Indian national, who had been at the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation in Broadmeadows for a week after his visa was cancelled, escaped around 8.15 p.m. on Wednesday, the Melbourne Age reported.

"The detention service provider advised that the man is not considered dangerous," a department of immigration spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Immigration officers and police have launched a search operation to trace the man.