A fire destroyed Malabero state detention center in Bengkulu city, Bengkulu province, on Friday night, killing five people who were being detained for alleged involvement in drug crime.

The dead have been named as Agung Nugraha, Heru Biliantoro, Agus Purwanto, Hendra Nopiandi and Medi Satria.

Bengkulu Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Adrian Indra Nurita said on Saturday that autopsies would be conducted on the victims'€™ bodies before they would be handed over to their relatives.

'€œA victim identification team will identify the bodies,'€ Adrian said, as quoted by Antara, adding that the bodies were being kept at Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Bengkulu.

Tribunnews.com reported that the fire occurred after officers from the Bengkulu branch of the National Narcotics Agency (BNNP) inspected a block at the detention center. Detainees reportedly attacked the officers. Prior to the incident, the dead detainees had been placed in the block used to hold drugs suspects.

A witness said that a gunshot was heard before the fire broke out at 8:30 p.m.

Law and Human Rights Ministry spokesman Effendi Peranginangin confirmed on Saturday that BNNP officers were inspecting the detention center.

Effendy said the detainees fought the officers, broke open the block'€™s gate and set fire to the detention center.

'€œThe situation was brought under control within two hours,'€ Effendi said.

Adrian added that the five victims were among 259 detainees held at the center.

After the fire, he said 252 of the detainees had been evacuated from the center and placed in Bentiring Penitentiary in Bengkulu city, one was in hospital being treated for burn injuries and one was being questioned by the BNNP.

'€œNo detainee escaped during the fire. We just removed them,'€ he said.

Authorities are still investigating who instigated the burning of the detention center.

'€œBesides technical matters, such as the condition of the building and negligence, we need to look at who was behind the fire. We will await the investigation by the police,'€ said provincial penitentiary division head Sunar Agus.

Malabero'€™s status had recently been changed from penitentiary to a detention center to hold detainees before they were brought to court, after the government built Bentiring Penitentiary. About 500 convicts were moved from Malabero to Bentiring earlier this month.

In July 2013, two warders and three prisoners died in a riot and fire at Tanjung Gusta Penitentiary in Medan, North Sumatra. Hundreds of prisoners, mostly drug convicts, escaped during the fire, but almost all of them were later recaptured.

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