Indonesia Prison Fire, Kills 41 People

The Class 1 Tangerang Penitentiary, Tangerang City, Banten Indonesia caught fire on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 in the early hours of the morning. The Tangerang prison fire caused the death of many inmates (prisoners).

How did Tangerang prison catch fire? The following is the explanation of the Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly regarding the Tangerang prison fire.

According to Yasonna, as many as 41 inmates died in the fire at the Class I prison in Tangerang. Of the 41 victims of the Tangerang Class I prison fire, 39 people are Indonesian citizens (WNI).

Two other victims of the Tangerang Class I prison fire are foreign nationals (WNA). “There are two foreigners. One is a Portuguese citizen and one is a South African citizen,” he said to the media crew, Wednesday

The Ministry of Law and Human Rights has collaborated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadors, and consular officers from the countries of foreigners who died as a result of the Tangerang Class I prison fire.

He added that of the 41 inmates, one person is a convict in a murder case, one is a terrorism convict, and the other is a drug convict.

“Of those who died there were 41 people, I apologize, one (convict) for murder, one for terrorism, and the other for drug crimes. However, we once again convey our deepest condolences to the entire family,” he continued.

Yasonna said the fire in the Class I prison in Tangerang occurred at 01.45 WIB. “There was a fire at 01.45 WIB, the supervisor looked at it from above, the supervisor saw that there was a fire, immediately called the head of security here,” said Yasonna.

The head of the Tangerang Class I prison immediately contacted the local fire department. Until 13 minutes later, 12 firefighters arrived at the Tangerang Class I Prison. Yasonna said that in less than 1.5 hours the fire in Tangerang prison was extinguished.

According to Yassona, the burning Tangerang prison is located in Block C 2, which is inhabited by 2,072 people. “Of course you ask why it is locked? Indeed, the prison protocol must be locked. If it is not locked, it will violate the protocol,” said Yasonna.

“81 survivors, 40 victims died on the spot, 1 on the way to the hospital,” he said.

Furthermore, Yasonna said that the temporary suspected cause of the fire in the Class I prison in Tangerang was an electrical installation problem.

“The provisional suspicion is that it was due to a short-circuit electricity problem, however, now the Puslabfor Polri, Dircrimum Polda Metro Jaya are investigating the cause of the fire in the Class I prison in Tangerang,” said Yasonna.

Yassona explained that the Tangerang Class I Prison has been built since 1972. So, in 2021, the Tangerang Class I Prison will be 42 years old.

“Since then we have not repaired the electrical installation, there is additional power but the electrical installation is still (the same),” said Yasonna.

“We don’t want to speculate, but while what we see is still very clear, the assumption is that it is due to a short circuit,” he said.

Hopefully the fire in Tangerang Class I Prison will become a momentum for the government to improve the condition of prisons in other areas that tend to be overloaded.

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