Immigrants die in escape effort

Trapani - Three North Africans were burned to death and nine were injured during a failed escape bid from a reception centre …

Trapani - Three North Africans were burned to death and nine were injured during a failed escape bid from a reception centre for illegal immigrants in Sicily yesterday, police said. The immigrants, inspired by the successful escape by six people on Tuesday, tried to flee the Serraino Vulpitta centre shortly after midnight.

When police stopped them, the immigrants set fire to mattresses and bedding. The blaze engulfed a wing of the centre, killing three men and leaving four others with severe burns.