Fire kills 41 in overcrowded Indonesia prison block

An ambulance is seen at the main entrance gate of Tangerang prison following a fire overnight at an overcrowded jail in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, September 8, 2021. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

TANGERANG, Indonesia (Reuters) -A fire killed 41 inmates in an overcrowded prison block in Indonesia's Banten province on Wednesday, a government minister said, injuring scores more in a blaze that police said may have been caused by an electrical fault.

The fire, the country's most deadly since 47 perished in a firework factory disaster in 2017, broke out at 1.45 a.m. local time in a Tangerang Prison block, said Indonesian law and human rights minister Yasonna Laoly, after visiting the scene.