Safety risk after Australia publishes asylum seekers' details

A woman holds a banner during a rally in support of asylum seekers, in central Sydney in this August 10, 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has inadvertently made public the identities of almost 10,000 asylum seekers, the department of immigration said on Wednesday, raising concerns it could help locate people fleeing persecution and thus place them in greater danger.

A file published on a government website by mistake held the names, nationalities and locations of nearly a third of all people held in Australia's immigration detention network. It is unclear how long the information was available to the public.