In the latest incident reflecting the chronic overcrowding in most of the nation’s prisons, more than 200 prisoners escaped from the overpopulated Sialang Bungkuk detention center in Pekanbaru, Riau province, on Friday, creating a commotion among local residents.

Local police are intensifying efforts to recapture the prisoners, who have reportedly committed a number of crimes, such as theft, since fleeing the prison.

Before the prison break, hundreds of inmates, who were accommodated in a single room in the prison, were reportedly involved in a brawl with guards after becoming incensed by the overcapacity of the room. Some of the inmates took advantage of the commotion, breaking down the room’s door and escaping by destroying one of the prison gates.

Citizens in Kulim and Tangkerang, two areas near the penitentiary, were returning from Friday prayers when the prisoners entered the vicinity. Seeing the threat, residents were caught in the commotion but immediately formed what a witness described as a “barricade” to prevent them from running away.

Widiarto, a resident of Kulim, said “dozens” of escaping prisoners were recaptured by citizens, who then handed them over to police officers.

“Not all of them wore prison attire. Some wore religious attire, claiming to be just returning from a Friday sermon,” Widiarto said.

Some inmates who were still on the lose had stolen residents’ motorcycles, said Didi, another witness.

“They threatened people riding their motorbikes. Some of the inmates even stole motorbikes parked in front of people’s houses,” Didi said, calling on the police to immediately recapture the inmates, who he described as “dangerous criminals.”

Pekanbaru Police spokesperson Ipda Dodi Vivino said dozens of armed police officers had been deployed to recapture the escapees, encouraging Pekanbaru residents to remain cautious and report anything suspicious to the nearest police station.

More than 120 prisoners have already been recaptured, Riau Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Aryo Tejo said.

“The number is expected to rise as the hunt is still ongoing.”

Despite its official capacity being only 361 inmates, the Sialang Bungkuk detention center houses around 1,800 prisoners, who have been convicted of crimes ranging from drug dealing and sexual abuse, to corruption.

Ferdinand Siagian, the head of the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s Riau office, said his office had sought help from the military and police to secure the region, including its airports and harbors. “I don’t believe that any of them have managed to escape to another city,” Ferdinand said.

Ferdinand said he had been informed that the prison break was triggered by the “discomfort” experienced by inmates because of the “inhumane” way wardens in the prison treated them.

Prisons in Indonesia have long grappled with overcrowding and staff shortages, and the nation’s tough approach to drug trafficking has only made it worse.

An aggressive crackdown on drug traffickers since 2015 has led to an unprecedented spike in the number of inmates.

According to data from the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s Directorate General of Penitentiaries, there were 82,230 drug convicts in January, up 17.5 percent from the same period in 2016. The figure was markedly larger than the annual increases of 4 to 5 percent in the number of drug-related inmates from 2015 to 2016 and from 2014 to 2015.