Prison Fire Kills 41 Prisoners in Tangerang

Body bags including the victims of the Tangerang jail fire are seen at the Tangerang Municipal Healthcare Facility on Sept. 8,2021 (Ruht Semiono)

Tangerang, Banten. At least 41 inmates still locked in their cells died after fire engulfed at the Tangerang Penitentiary in Banten, just south of Jakarta, early on Wednesday.

All however one victim are drug offense convicts, according to authorities. The other dead inmate has actually been convicted of terrorism but identities of all the victims have yet to be revealed.

” According to data that I got, the death toll consists of 41 prisoners, one is a terrorism found guilty and the rest are drug wrongdoers. 2 of the dead are foreign residents,” Justice Minister Yasonna H Laoly said in Jakarta.

The occurrence likewise injured more than 70 others, with 8 in serious condition.

” The penitentiary caught fire at around 1: 45, it started from Block C2, Jakarta Cops Chief Insp. Gen. Fadil Imran informed press reporters at the scene.

While investigation is underway, Fadil hypothesized that an electrical faulty could have sparked the fatal fire.

” The fire is probably triggered by an electrical malfunctioning. It lasted for about 2 hours and is now put up by firemen, law enforcement officers and prison employee, he stated.

Enduring prisoners have been moved to other blocks while the hurt are being dealt with at 2 regional healthcare facilities, he said.

The jail is located on Jalan Veteran, Tangerang city, which belongs to Greater Jakarta.

A Justice Ministry authorities said when the event occurred, all cells were locked.

” Throughout the fire, every cell was locked so some of the inmates couldn t be rescued from their cells in time,” stated Agus Toyib, head of the ministry s Banten workplace.

Correctional authorities and the police are currently in the procedure of identifying all the victims, he said.

The jail houses 2,072 prisoners and the burned Block C2 had 122 prisoners, he added.