Locked In Cells Caused 41 Convicts In Tangerang Class I Prison To Burn

Efforts to extinguish fire in Tangerang prison/ Screenshot

JAKARTA - A total of 41 inmates died as a result of a fire at the Class I Penitentiary (Lapas) on Wednesday, September 8. One of the reasons is because their detention room is locked so they can't escape.

"It caught fire because all rooms were locked," said Head of the Banten Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Agus Toyib, to reporters, Wednesday, September 8.

According to him, when the fire broke out, the officers rescued the prisoners. However, at that time, the fire continued to grow. So there are prisoners who could not be saved.

"So there are those who don't have time to get out of the room," he said.

Agus detailed that the burnt block C2 was inhabited by 122 inmates. Thus, all the prisoners could not be saved.

"The C2 fire incident was 122 people," said Agus. Previously, the Tangerang Class I Prison was on Wednesday, September 8, early in the morning. As a result of the fire, 41 inmates died.

In addition, it was recorded that 8 inmates suffered serious injuries and 72 inmates suffered minor injuries. They have been taken to the clinic for treatment.

So far, the cause of the fire is still being investigated. However, it is suspected that the cause was an electric short circuit.