A detainee at the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre near Perth has described a scene of panic and chaos in the moments after a 32-year-old detainee was reportedly stabbed to death on Wednesday night.
The witness, T, who is using a pseudonym, said he was getting ready to go to sleep when he heard somebody screaming and calling for help to call an ambulance.
He ran to the victim and knew right away that the man's life was in danger.
"He had lost a lot of blood, his room where he was coming from was all covered with blood everywhere," T said.
"And he was struggling to breathe. One of the detainees was holding on where the stabbing happened to try to stop the blood, but blood was just flowing.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing."
The man on the ground — a friend of T's — was from Turkey and according to the Refugee Action Coalition had been at the Yongah Hill centre for about three years.
In the moments after the man was injured, T said he called 000 and spoke to an operator while the other detainee tried to stop the bleeding.
He said there were only two guards nearby at the time.
Meanwhile, he said another fight broke out in another part of the detention centre. Tensions around him were rising, too, and the guards were outnumbered, he said.
"So we've got two situations now. One, we're trying to save my friend's life, he's on the ground," T said.
"And the other one, that the other detainees are fighting.
T said it took about 30 or 40 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
Ultimately, efforts to save the man were unsuccessful. WA Police said he was declared dead after being taken by ambulance to the Northam Regional Hospital.
A building at the detention centre was set on fire after the reported stabbing incident.
Police said Homicide Squad detectives were investigating and two people were assisting police with inquiries.
'It's a ticking time bomb'
In January 2022, there were almost 300 detainees at the Yongah Hill detention centre, about 100 kilometres east of Perth, near the town of Northam.
Detainees can be held indefinitely when the government wants to deport a person to their country of origin but cannot because their life would be in danger.
T said tension in the lead up to the incident was linked to mental health issues and a culture of fear.
"It's a ticking time bomb where anything can happen, any minute, any time," he said.
"You have to remain in your room, door locked.
"You go to sleep, you lock your door, because anything can happen.
"Someone can just come to your room to do anything. So it's very, very, very stressful and very terrifying.
"I would prefer to be in a prison system than being here."
Australian Border Force said in a statement that the health and safety of detainees and staff was its priority.
"As this matter will be subject to ongoing investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment further," the statement said.
The department expressed its condolences to the man's family and friends.
The ABC has requested further comment regarding conditions inside the detention centre.
