Rioting, fire break out in Indonesian jail; hundreds of prisoners escape

Hundreds of prisoners escaped from an Indonesian jail on Sumatra island after rioting and fire broke out on Saturday morning at the detention centre. The incident occurred after the police raided the Siak Sri Indrapura prison on Friday evening and found a female prisoner in possession of crystal methamphetamine.

Following this, the authorities coordinated with the narcotics division of the Siak police to raid the entire penitentiary, reported The Jakarta Post. The rioting was triggered after a prison guard reportedly hit one of the inmates who was caught using the said drug. The angered prisoners set the guard's office on fire.

In a massive manhunt by the authorities following the incident, around 110 prisoners have been recaptured, while an unknown number of others remain at large. "We'll check the number [of the prisoners who ran away] later. The officers are trying to negotiate with the other prisoners," said Inspector General Widodo Eko. Widodo claimed there were no casualties, but a police officer was hit by a rubber bullet during the incident.

(With inputs from agencies.)