UPDATED: Two 30-year-old men reportedly escaped from an NT Corrections facility in Nhulunbuy on Saturday night, with Corrections not discovering until the next morning that a third inmate, aged 34, had also escaped the facility around the same time, NT Police said.

Police issued a statement about the escape from the facility on Bottlebrush Road on Sunday afternoon, calling for the public’s help to locate the three men, but failing to provide photos of the escapees.

In an update released on Monday afternoon, police said they located and arrested the three males in Yirrkala – 18 kilometres from Nhulunbuy.

Corrections informed police around 10:40pm on Saturday that two men had escaped “sometime after 9pm”, later revealing on Sunday morning that a third man had also absconded from the facility between 9pm and 11pm on Saturday.

“Additional police resources have been deployed to the area and investigations are ongoing,” police media director Mark Wilton said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

“While police do not believe the individuals pose a risk to the general public, members of the community are advised not to approach them.

“Anyone with information about their whereabouts is urged to contact police on 131 444, quoting reference number P25018765, or to report anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.”

The names of the escapees and photos were inexplicably not provided.

In the Monday update, police did not say how they located the three men in Yirrkala, adding only that, “Police would like to thank the public for their assistance”.

Three youths absconded from an Alice Springs facility last week, but were also apprehended within a couple of days.

The NT corrections system is currently facing enormous overcrowding pressures, with many police watch houses being used as correctional facilities to contain the growing numbers of prisoners.