Order is being restored to the Christmas Island detention centre following reports of a riot, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection says.

Key points: Immigration Department says order being restored to Christmas Island

Immigration Department says order being restored to Christmas Island Inmates earlier said buildings torched in riot

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Earlier, the Federal Government had confirmed a number of people at the detention centre were involved in a "stand-off" with authorities following the death of an Iranian refugee.

But according to Immigration, staff have re-entered the central parts of the centre and say the facility is calm.

A food service has begun and service providers are negotiating with protesting detainees to provide medication to those with medical conditions.

Back-up staff are also being flown to Christmas Island to relieve workers who have been under pressure since death of an Iranian refugee after he escaped from the centre on Saturday.

The Department say they remain committed to resolving the situation through negotiation.

On Monday, the Department had denied that there was a large-scale riot taking place following the death of Iranian Kurdish refugee Fazel Chegeni, whose body was found at the base of a cliff on Sunday.

Mr Chegeni's death is being investigated by Australian Federal Police.

A man being held inside the centre said detainees had set fire to parts of the complex.

There were also reports guards had abandoned the centre and fences had been torn down.

"If people have committed acts of wilful damage or assault or other criminal acts within detention centres, then they'll face the full force of the law," Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said.

"But for us, at the moment, the priority is to make sure that we can restore order within the centre, and the people on the ground are undertaking those activities."

The body of Fazel Chegeni was found on Saturday after he escaped the Christmas Island detention centre. ( Supplied )

Twenty-five-year-old detainee Matej Cuperka told the ABC that ex-convicts who had their Australian visas cancelled after serving time in jail started the riot.

"The death [of the Iranian man] is very, very suspicious," he said.

"They [the inmates who are rioting] believe Serco officers did something to him.

"I clearly heard him in the morning screaming for help, and the next thing I see they be bringing him in a body bag, and after that the whole place went into lockdown.

"About 30 people started a fight with the emergency response team in front of the medical [clinic] where officers left their stations and put the place in lockdown."

"They are setting fires everywhere," Mr Cuperka added.

"They started [on Sunday night]. They have broken into the canteen, into the property area, they started fires over there and now they starting in the compound.

"There are cars full of officers driving around the complex. They are just having a look through the window, but nobody is helping us.

"I want to get out of here. Get me somewhere safe please."

Another detainee, who stressed that he had not been involved in the riots, said "most of the compounds have actually been broken into, including the medical [compound]".

Sorry, this video has expired Riot police enter Christmas Island compound

"The canteen, I can see from where I'm standing now, has been completely ransacked and is burning as I speak to you," he said.

"It's a complete disaster zone.

"The compound that I'm in ... there's a lot of spot fires in there, all the cameras have been smashed up, all the kitchen has been smashed up, the offices have been breached and all the computers and everything has been broken up."

The Immigration Department said the camp's perimeter had not been breached and "the department and its service providers [were] working together to resolve the situation".

Mr Dutton said there had been an initial response by Serco officers and there would be "further responses from the appropriate authorities either negotiating or dealing with those people who have caused disturbances there".

Mr Dutton said a coronial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Chegeni would be conducted.

"As I'm advised there are no suspicious circumstances in relation to the death," he said.

Mr Dutton said there are currently 203 people at the Christmas Island detention centre with no women or children held.

NZ MP says detainees are in charge

The Christmas Island camp also houses New Zealand citizens being deported from Australia, as well as asylum seekers.

New Zealand Labour MP Kelvin Davis said he had been told detainees had "taken over the detention centre".

"I'm hearing that the guards have exited the detention centre, that fences have been torn down and that detainees in the segregated area are mixing with the mainstream detainees," he told the ABC.

"Some of them have been on that island for four, five years and, quite frankly, everyone's sick of being treated like animals and right now they're turning around and biting."

Mr Davis said he had been told at least one detainee had overdosed and the Emergency Response Team had taken 20 minutes to reach him.

"He told me about an asylum seeker who had taken an overdose of drugs. They were trying to get medical help for this guy, 20 minutes, and finally the Emergency Response Team managed to drag this guy out.

"I would like to think the authorities would take a step back and look to negotiate because I don't think these guys really want to riot... they would like a peaceful resolution of the situation, they certainly don't want to end up getting beaten up by the riot squad.

"A number of people have gone back to their individual cells and they are barricading themselves in."

Mr Davis said detainees on the island had told him they were angry about what they believed was a "cover-up" of the truth about how the man died.

Riot 'started after guards asked about man's death'

New Zealand detainee Lester Hohua told ABC NewsRadio the riot was sparked when a guard started arguing with an asylum seeker who was asking about Mr Chegeni's death.

Sorry, this video has expired Peter Dutton addresses Christmas Island unrest

"When we saw the officer try to fight with the refugee, that's when [some other detainees] stood up, and we didn't give it back or anything, didn't throw any punches, but we said 'you can't do that'," he said.

"And then we came back to our compound and it just all went haywire."

Another New Zealand detainee, who did not wish to be named, told Auckland's TVNZ the centre was in chaos.

"The canteen's been smashed to pieces, there's no security, there's no emergency response team, there's no border patrol, there's no guards, there's nothing," he said.

"They're not here. They've gone. They freaked out and left, I think."

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The Refugee Action Coalition's Ian Rintoul said he had been in contact with detainees throughout Sunday night.

"The fences are down, [centre management contractor] Serco has abandoned the detention centre, there have been many fires set," Mr Rintoul told 702 ABC Sydney.

"I don't think the accommodation blocks have been burned — a lot of people have not been involved — but there is certainly considerable property damage and breaching of the fences.

"[The man's] death has triggered the tensions inside Christmas Island [detention centre] that have been building for many, many months.

"It is the most systematically brutal of the detention centres run in Australia now."

Escaped detainee had 'history of attempting suicide'

Refugee advocate Pamela Curr said Mr Chegeni had a history of attempting suicide, having previously tried to take his life by jumping from the roof of another detention centre before being sent to Christmas Island.

"He showed me his legal file at one stage, and I am really sorry I ever read it, because that man was most brutally tortured in Iran," she told the ABC.

"And our Government knew, because they accepted that evidence and they gave him a positive refugee decision.

"And despite the fact that he was so brutally tortured, they kept him in detention for years.

"We are heartbroken. He was a lovely, gentle man who should never have died."

Christmas Island Shire president Gordon Thompson said locals were confused by "rumours".

"I'm very sad to hear that someone's died," he said.

"I'm very, very disappointed that the department has allowed rumour to spread through the community over the last three days, two-and-a-half days, without providing any information."

In 2011, Australian Federal Police fired bean bag bullets at rioters who had set fire to buildings at the centre.

Extra police were flown to the island in a bid to quell the riot, which ran over multiple nights.

Labor calls for more transparency

Shadow immigration minister Richard Marles urged the Government to be more transparent over what was going on.

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Mr Marles said he could not confirm reports that guards had left their posts following the "tragic death" of Mr Chegeni.

He told the ABC that the Turnbull Government needed to reverse its "terrible" track record of transparency and confirm what was happening.

"There are people inside, we need to know that they are safe," he said.

"This Government doesn't have a very good track record when it comes to transparency around the running of the facilities.

"They need to be explaining to the Australian people what is happening with these facilities."

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said those with asylum claims should be protected from the riot.

"There must be an immediate evacuation of all refugees and asylum seekers from Christmas Island, to leave them there would be irresponsible and a breach of duty of care," he said.