SURABAYA, Indonesia, Jan 18, 2012 (AFP) - Thirty Pakistani and Afghan immigrants tunneled their way out of an Indonesian detention centre using spoons, nails and wooden sticks, an official said Wednesday.

The men escaped through the two-metre tunnel in Surabaya city on Monday after digging their way from a toilet, under the main gate to freedom.

As some dug, others had played the traditional South Asian board game of carrom to distract the guards.

While police have arrested 11 of the escapees, 19 remain at large.

They include a man who survived when a boat in Indonesian waters en route to Australia capsized in December, killing around 200 mostly Afghan and Iranian asylum seekers.

"The migrants dug the tunnel from the restroom in the church, which is positioned close to the main gate," the head of the East Java provincial ministry Mashudi told AFP.

"They managed to dig a space wide and long enough to eventually find their way out."

Police said the men came through Indonesia to try and seek asylum in Australia.

"They said after escaping they would try and get to Jakarta because they heard the wages were good there," an official said.

Indonesia is not a signatory of the United Nations refugee convention and asylum seekers are often detained alongside illegal immigrants, where many wait for years before being assessed for refugee status.

Asylum seekers often pass through Indonesia to connect with people smugglers and to get on boats to Australia's Christmas Island, which is closer to Indonesian territory than mainland Australia.