A fire at an overcrowded prison in Indonesia killed 41 inmates on Wednesday, reflecting the dangers posed by the country’s overloaded correctional facilities.
Indonesia’s Law and Human Rights Minister Yasona Laoli said the prison, located in an industrial area on the western side of the island of Java, houses 2,072 people, five times its capacity.
“The fire grew so fast,” said Mr. Laoli, that rescuers were unable to reach some of the chambers in time.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire. Mr Laoli said this was probably due to a power problem as the prison’s electrical system had not been improved since it was built in 1972.
At 1:45 a.m. local time on Wednesday, prison officials spotted the flames and contacted the fire department, which dispatched units that arrived 13 minutes later. Rescuers rushed to open the doors of as many cells as possible, Mr Laoli said, allowing dozens of people to escape from the affected prison block, some injured who were being treated at a nearby health clinic.
Forty inmates died on the spot, while another died on the way to the hospital, he said. Television footage showed rescue teams carrying bodies in orange bags. The fire was brought under control in 90 minutes.
All but two of those killed were convicted of drug offenses, while others were imprisoned for murder and terrorism crimes.
Human rights groups have issued a warning about Indonesia’s overcrowded prisons, which they say have turned them into sites of Covid-19 infection.
An Indonesian government website showed that, as of last month, the country’s prisons were almost 100% overcapacitated, with about 265,500 people being detained, but only room for 135,500.
This story has been published without modification to the text from a wire agency feed
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