Around 600 drug addicts from a rehabilitation center in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai Province forced their way out of the facility before midnight on Sunday, with the majority still at large.

As of 5 am Monday morning, around 150 escapees had been apprehended while over 400 remain on the loose, according to Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Province Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA) Ho Van Loc.

The addicts were patients of the provincial rehab center located in Xuan Phu Commune, Xuan Loc District.

The break-out occurred at around 11pm on Sunday, when a group of newly admitted drug addicts provoked their fellow patients into vandalizing the center, Loc said.

Arming themselves with fire extinguishers and sticks, the rebels stormed their way through three other sectors of the rehab center and forced other patients to leave the facility.

Police responding to the chaotic scene reportedly fired warning shots into the air to no avail, as the unruly mob swarmed out of the center and attacked anyone in their way, a source of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said.

The police eventually gave way to the rioters after consulting with senior provincial officials, warning local authorizes and asking other police forces to assist in the search for the escapees.

Households in Xuan Loc District were advised to keep their doors shut, while gas stations along sections of National Route 1 in the area were also requested to close earlier than usual amid safety concerns.

Many of the escaped addicts were caught by locals and police officers as they wandered around villages asking for money.

One group of escapees reportedly stole the motor tricycle of a local household, while one of the mob leaders rode away on a motorbike stolen from a staff member at the rehab center.

As of Monday morning police had finished examining the scene and one of the rehab patients who incited the riot has been caught and detained for questioning,.

Commuters passing through Xuan Phu Commune on National Route 1 were stopped by the runaways and had their vehicles vandalized.

Police checkpoints have also been set up on roads surrounding Long Khanh Town in Dong Nai Province, located to the south of the rehab centers where the riot broke out.

Locals look on as police set up a checkpoint to arrest escapees from Dong Nai Province Rehabilitation Center on the evening of October 23, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A female bedroom in Dong Nai Province Rehabilitation Center vandalized by rioters on the evening of October 23, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A female bedroom in Dong Nai Province Rehabilitation Center vandalized by rioters on the evening of October 23, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Local police forces respond to the riot at Dong Nai Province Rehabilitation Center on the evening of October 23, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Police arrest a drug addict who escaped from Dong Nai Province Rehabilitation Center on the evening of October 23, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Police arrest a group of drug addicts who escaped from Dong Nai Province Rehabilitation Center on the evening of October 23, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Overloaded rehab center?

The number of drug addicts currently being treated at Dong Nai Province Rehabilitation Center is nearly 1,500, more than twice its designed capacity of between 600 and 700, according to figures provided by the provincial DOLISA, which oversees the center’s operation.

This has led to substandard living conditions and widespread discontent amongst patients, a source said.

Thirty percent of those admitted to the center have criminal records, while the majority of patients are infected with HIV, tuberculosis or have mental illnesses, adding to the workload of rehab staffers.

According to Vietnamese law, homeless drug addicts or those who have a drug relapse after being rehabilitated at home can be compelled to go through an enforced rehabilitation program at a state-run center.

Footage of drug addicts marching on National Route 1 on the evening of October 23, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Footage of drug addicts stopping and vandalizing vehicles on National Route 1 on the evening of October 23, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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