Fire at Indonesian prison kills at least 41 inmates

By Nicky Aulia Widadio

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - At least 41 inmates were killed early Wednesday when a massive fire raged through a prison in Indonesia's Banten province on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta.

Eight people were seriously injured and 72 others suffered minor injuries, Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police Chief Inspector General Fadil Imran said in press conference.

Imran said the fire broke at Block 2C, which was occupied by 122 drug offenders, around 1:45 a.m. local time and lasted about two hours.

"The next step is to investigate the cause of the fire. A team from the Forensic Laboratory Center is working to find the cause," he told reporters.

Imran said based on initial observations at the scene, the fire was caused by a short circuit.

*Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo with Anadolu Agency’s Indonesian language services in Jakarta