The trio broke out of their cell before dawn on Monday, police Col. Rattapong Tiasud told BenarNews as quoted by Radio Free Asia (RFA).

The fugitives used a sharp tool to saw their way through metal bars as they escaped from the detention center in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, about 320 km (199 miles) south of Bangkok, according to an image that BenarNews obtained from another source.

“We are searching for them, and I’m awaiting reports from the ground. The search is a bit slow because of the public holidays lately,” Rattapong, an investigator at the immigration bureau, told Radio Free Asia.

He identified the people who escaped as Ali, 25, Abdulla, 30, and Abdullah, 29.

As of late Thursday, the escapees were believed to be still at-large.

They were among more than four dozen Uyghurs who were being held at detention centers across Thailand after they allegedly entered the country illicitly while fleeing from northwestern China, Radio Free Asia reported.