WA trial hears 18 detainees escaped centre

Four Vietnamese men accused of escaping a Darwin detention centre were among 18 alleged escapees, a WA trial has heard.

Four Vietnamese men allegedly escaped from a Darwin immigration detention centre with 14 other people more than two years ago, a Perth trial has heard.

Tuan Tu Dinh Pham, 30, Cong Van Nguyen, 30, Thong Trong Ho, 29, and Thien Dinh Nguyen, 20, are accused of escaping from Northern Immigration Detention Centre through a drain pipe on May 10, 2013.

Their trial in the Perth Magistrates Court heard on Monday that a total of 18 people allegedly escaped from the detention centre that day.