The families of two Maltese inmates who were reported missing after a breakout from a Tunisian jail on Tuesday are still in the dark about their fate.

The whereabouts of Thomas Camilleri and Glenn Paul Xuereb, both 22, who were arrested last July and charged with drug trafficking, remain unknown, even to the Maltese Embassy in Tunis days after the massive escape from the prison they were in.

They were being held at the Messadine jail in Sousse and are believed to have escaped along with some 2,000 inmates after the prison cells were unlocked in the wake of civil unrest that gripped the country.

Joe Camilleri, Thomas’ father, said his son did not contact the family ever since the prison break.

“The children have not communicated with us or the embassy. We still do not know where they are. I am considering going to Tunisia but I have no idea where to start looking,” Mr Camilleri said.

He said earlier this week he hoped the two remained in prison, which was possibly a safer option than being on the street.

Unless the two contact the embassy, the only way to ascertain whether they are still at Messadine is to go there physically, something, which is difficult to do given the turmoil in Tunisia.

The two men face charges of attempting to smuggle 70 kilograms of cannabis into Malta. They have denied any wrongdoing and are awaiting trial.

The fragile situation in Tunisia persisted yesterday as ministers in the national unity government resigned from the RDC party set up by ousted President Zine Abidine Ben Ali. The move was intended to quell growing protests against people of the old regime after key ministerial roles in the unity government were assigned to former ministers in the Ben Ali regime.

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