Police and immigration officials in Tanzania have detained 71 illegal immigrants from Ethiopia and Somalia, according to police sources on Sunday.

The illegal immigrants were held up in southern Tanzanian region of Mbeya.

Of the illegal immigrants, 40 were from Ethiopia and 31 from Somalia.

They were caught in a span of three days late last week near Lake Nyasa that borders Tanzania with Malawi and Mozambique.

All the detainees have pleaded guilty of entering the country illegally and 57 of them have been released after having paid fines, according to Mbeya Regional Police Commander Suleiman Kova.

Source: Xinhua