Inmates set fire to overcrowded prison in western Indonesia

Soldiers, firemen and police officers trying to put out the fire from Kabanjahe prison during a riot in Kabanjahe, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Wednesday (Feb 12). Angry inmates set fire to the overcrowded prison on Indonesia's Sumatra island during a riot that erupted Wednesday, officials said. - AP

MEDAN: Angry inmates set fire to an overcrowded prison on Indonesia's Sumatra island during a riot that erupted Wednesday, officials said.

Hundreds of police and soldiers were deployed to take control of Kabanjahe prison in North Sumatra province, which is designed to house 193 inmates but now has more than 400, said Sri Puguh Budi Utami, director general of corrections at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry.