MEDAN: Angry inmates set fire to an overcrowded prison on Indonesia's Sumatra island during a riot that erupted Wednesday, officials said. Other inmates, mostly arrested for drug offensives, joined the protest and it turned violent, but there were no reports of deaths, Utami said. Television video showed prisoners in an open field under heavy guard by soldiers while police removed others from the prison compound. Black smoke billowed from a building, and burned office equipment and documents were scattered around the prison. Local police chief Benny Hutajulu said eight fire trucks were mobilized to extinguish the fire and about 500 police and soldiers were deployed around the prison to prevent inmates from escaping.

Source: The Star February 12, 2020 09:33 UTC