Story highlights Riots have broken out at the Christmas Island detention center

The violence followed news of the death of an escaped asylum seeker

Australian government says it is working to "assess and resolve the situation"

(CNN) Riots have broken out among detainees in an Australian immigration detention center on Christmas Island following the death of an Iranian refugee who escaped from the facility.

A statement by the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection confirmed the "major disturbance," although they denied that there was a "large scale 'riot'," and said it is working with its service providers "to assess and resolve the situation."

Ian Rintoul, a spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition (RAC) in Australia who has been in contact with refugees at the facility, said the rioting started Sunday night after detainees were informed that the escaped refugee -- who he named as Fazel Chegeni -- had been found dead "in the jungle."

Fazel Chegeni, an Iranian refugee in his early 30s was found dead at the bottom of a cliff on Christmas Island, Australian officials said.

He said although there was no information or evidence to suggest that anyone had been involved in the death, the detainees immediately became suspicious of the involvement of guards from the center's management company, Serco.

"The guards abandoned the detention center at 11 p.m. last night and there are presently no guards manning the center at all," he added. "The refugees are now expecting the inevitable, which is either the arrival of the Australian Federal Police or the armed Serco Emergency Response Team."

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