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A brawl on Christmas Island involving 150 detainees has injured 37 Afghans and Sri Lankans, several of them seriously.
Fairfax and News Ltd newspapers say 10 of the detainees were taken to the island's hospital and three of the more seriously hurt - one with a broken leg, one with a broken jaw and one with a broken nose - were flown to Perth for treatment.
Some guards suffered minor injuries while breaking up the fight, an Immigration Department spokesman said on Sunday.
The spokesman said the department, Sirco - which runs the centre - and Australian Federal Police based on the island are investigating the brawl, and it's too soon to say what triggered the violence.
The confrontation between the Afghans and more recently arrived Sri Lankans began at about 6.30pm on Saturday, with those involved wielding pool cues, broom handles and branches.
Detention centre staff moved in quickly to break it up but it took them 30 minutes to get those fighting under control.
There are 969 asylum seekers detained in the centre, which is designed to take 1,088.
Forty-four boats carrying 2,094 passengers, most of them from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Iraq, and 92 crew have arrived in Australian waters so far this year.
The latest was intercepted by the Australian Customs vessel Roebuck Bay south-west of the Ashmore Islands on Friday.
It was carrying 53 passengers and two crew, and they were taken to Christmas Island.
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