Australian officials are battling to regain control of a remote detention centre for asylum seekers on the Australian territory of Christmas Island amid reports of rioting at the facility.

The immigration department confirmed damage had been caused - but there were no serious injuries and the perimeter was secure.

Officials said fires were started in some parts of the centre during a "major disturbance" following the death of an asylum seeker who escaped from the facility on Saturday.

The man's body was found on Sunday at the bottom of cliffs on the island. The cause of his death is being investigated.

New Zealand politician Kelvin Davis, who recently visited the island, said a New Zealander detained at the facility told him asylum seekers had taken over the centre and guards had retreated.

"They have put holes in the walls, so even if they are rounded up and put back in the cells they actually can't be locked up," Mr Davis told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Prime Minister John Key said their actions would do nothing to help their asylum cases.

"The risk is that they damage their own appeals because they undertake other criminal activity," he said.

Australia has taken a tough stance on asylum seekers who try to reach its shores illegally.

Those who are smuggled into Australia from Indonesia are detained on Christmas Island and on the Pacific island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.