TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Fire engulfs Tanjung Gusta Prison, hundreds of prisoners flee

TheNorth Sumatra police said 200 prisoners had managed to fleeincarceration at Tanjung Gusta Prison in Medan due to a fire that devastated thefacility on Thursday night

Yuliasri Perdani (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, July 11, 2013 Published on Jul. 11, 2013 Published on 2013-07-11T23:22:19+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

T

heNorth Sumatra police said 200 prisoners had managed to fleeincarceration at Tanjung Gusta Prison in Medan due to a fire that devastated thefacility on Thursday night.

The fire was allegedly started by inmates around 7 p.m., who were angered by an outage of water and electricity at the prison.


Hundreds of police officers, helped by local residents, guarded the surrounding area to catch the escaping inmates.

National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie said the police had deployed personnel from the North Sumatera Police, the Medan Police and local police precincts to secure the scene.


'€œWe are focusing on capturing the inmates. The North Sumatera Police'€™s Mobile Brigade [Brimob], Sabhara rapid response unit, crime and intelligence unit are now at the
location,'€ he said.

Ronny said that to date 12 terrorist convicts had been detained but gave no further details.

North Sumatra police chief Insp. Gen. Syarief Gunawan said the police had managed to arrest 10 inmates '€” one was a terrorist convict, as quoted by tribunnews.com.(hrl/dic)

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.