3 years ago
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By Niniek Karmini, The Associated Press
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A monolithic occurrence raged done an overcrowded situation adjacent Indonesia’s superior aboriginal Wednesday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 41 inmates, 2 of them foreigners serving cause sentences, and injuring 80 others.
Firefighters battled done the aboriginal greeting hours to extinguish the flames arsenic achromatic fume billowed from the compound of the Tangerang situation connected the outskirts of Jakarta.
After the blaze was extinguished, ambulance aft ambulance filled with assemblage bags containing the victims were driven by Red Cross workers to the morgue of a section hospital, wherever they were stacked wall-to-wall connected the level of a country awaiting transport to a larger installation for identification.
Relatives of prisoners trickled successful to the situation passim the time to cheque and spot whether their loved ones were among those killed.
Most of the 41 killed were cause convicts, including a antheral from South Africa and a antheral from Portugal, portion different victims included a coercion convict and a murderer, Indonesia’s Law and Human Rights curate Yasona Laoly told reporters.
He expressed his heavy condolences for the families of the victims and pledged to supply the champion attraction for those injured.
“This is simply a calamity that concerns each of us,” Laoly said. “We are moving intimately with each applicable parties to analyse the causes of the fire.”
The occurrence broke retired astatine 1:45 a.m. successful Block C2 of the prison, wherever the 19 cells that were built to clasp 40 inmates were stuffed afloat with much than triple that number. The origin of the blaze appears to person been an electrical abbreviated circuit, according to archetypal findings, Jakarta Police Chief Fadil Imran said.
As the occurrence was brought nether control, hundreds of constabulary and soldiers were deployed astir the situation to forestall prisoners from escaping, Imran told reporters adjacent the scene.
Problems are rampant successful Indonesia’s prisons, mostly owed to overcrowding. More than fractional of the system’s inmates are being held connected narcotics offenses; a merchandise of the country’s warfare connected drugs.
As of July, determination were a full of 268,610 inmates successful Indonesia’s prisons, which were built to clasp 132,107 people.
Tangerang prison, located successful the bosom of Tangerang metropolis successful Jakarta’s neighboring state of Banten, was designed to location 900 inmates but has much than 2,000, Laoly said. Officials had earlier said it was built to accommodate 1,225 inmates.
The authorities has acknowledged the problem, and is readying to refocus its attack toward cause offenders to commencement looking astatine them arsenic addicts who request treatment, alternatively than criminals, successful the anticipation of dramatically reducing the fig incarcerated.
Reynhard Silitonga, the caput of corrections astatine the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, told The Associated Press successful an email that if determination isn’t a alteration successful policy, the fig of inmates could apical 400,000 wrong 5 years.
With the caller approach, “the tone of handling cause offenders, particularly users, is directed astatine the wellness aspect, nary longer imprisonment,” helium said.
He did not accidental however agelong it would instrumentality to instrumentality the changes.
In summation to those who died successful the Tangerang fire, 8 inmates were hospitalized with terrible burns and 9 with airy injuries were treated astatine a situation clinic, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights said. Another 64, galore suffering fume inhalation, were evacuated to a mosque successful the compound for observation.
The 15 corrections officers guarding the compartment artifact were unhurt, said Rika Aprianti, spokesperson for the corrections department.
Agus Toyib, who heads the Banten provincial instrumentality and quality rights office, which oversees Tangerang, said understaffing astatine the situation led to delays successful rescuing inmates from their locked cells.
“Most victims caught occurrence arsenic they didn’t person capable clip to get retired of their cells and the occurrence was increasing rapidly,” helium said.
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