SOUTHERN DOWNS mayor Tracy Dobie has expressed her sympathy for Cameroon officials after one-third of their athletes were reported missing from the Commonwealth Games Village. Some never even made it to their events after leaving their training camp in Warwick last month.

Officials fear the athletes won't be coming back and what's left of the Cameroon team flew home on Wednesday evening to prevent any more escapes.

Initial reports suggested five athletes disappeared but it has since been confirmed eight of 24 athletes who travelled to the Gold Coast were missing after the athletes "left in three waves”.

The first round of missing athletes were discovered on Sunday when three of the team "departed the village”.

On Monday night, another two were declared missing, and on Tuesday night three others left their room.

Games officials are stumped over the whereabouts of the Cameroonian athletes, five of whom are boxers and three of whom are weightlifters.

The matter has prompted Australia's Border Force to monitor the situation.

The Cameroon team's press attaché Simon Molombe said they just left in the night.

"When we got up in the morning, they were not there. It's very, very disappointing and very, very embarrassing for Cameroon,” he said.

He said he "doesn't think they'll come back”.

While acknowledging it was unknown why the athletes had fled, Cr Dobie said it was perhaps not shocking.

"We have to appreciate that Australia is the best country in the world, there's no country in the world like Australia and it's very appealing,” she said.

"While it's illegal to overstay a visitor permit, you can understand in one sense.”

Cr Dobie said she felt for the management of the Cameroon team.

"They did a wonderful job in organising the team to come to Australia and have Warwick for their training and now the athletes have let them down,” she said.

WIRAC manager David Jordan hosted the athletes at the venue while they were training in Warwick, saying they enjoyed their stay.

"It was great for everybody and they did seem to appreciate the effort that the council and community went to for them,” he said.

Team Cameroon's chef de mission Victor Agbor Nso told Cameroon's CRTV the Cameroon team has filed an official complaint with Australian police. "We have officially informed our hierarchy back home: the Ministry of Sports and the president of the National Olympic Committee of Cameroon,” he said.

"We have also laid a formal complaint to the Australian police.”

The athletes will hold valid visas until May 15.

Additional reporting from news.com.au