Tangerang prison fire

Last updated

Tangerang prison fire
Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Kelas I Tangerang, 2021.jpg
Above the prison entrance
Tangerang prison fire
Date8 September 2021 (2021-09-08)
Time01:45 WIB
(18:45 UTC , 7 September) [1]
LocationClass I Tangerang Prison, Sector C
Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia
TypeFire
Deaths49
Non-fatal injuries72

On 8 September 2021, a fire occurred in an overcrowded prison block in the city of Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, in Greater Jakarta. The fire began at about 01:45 WIB (18:45 UTC , 7 September) in sector C of the Tangerang prison, killing 41 inmates and injuring a further 75. [2] More victims succumbed to their injuries in the following days, raising the death toll to 49. [3]

Contents

Background

Prison system

The Indonesian prison system has been overcrowded for years, partially due to stringent laws governing narcotics and a focus on incarceration rather than rehabilitation for those that violate them. [4] [5] Sector C (Chandiri Nengga), [6] the affected prison block, held inmates incarcerated for drug-related offenses. [7] The Class I prison in Tangerang had a capacity of 600, but was holding more than 2,000 inmates. [4] Sector C had been built to hold 38 inmates, but had held 122 at the time of the fire. [5]

Tangerang prison

The Tangerang prison, officially known as the Tangerang Class I Correctional Facility (Indonesian : Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Klas I Tangerang), was constructed in 1972 as a substitute for the Glodok prison, which at that time had been sold to a private company. [8] The prison was inaugurated on 6 December 1982, by the Director General of Prisons. Although the prison was initially intended to incarcerate white-collar criminals, a surge of drug-related crime in 2008 prompted the government to transfer drug-related criminals into the prison. As of 2016, 60% of inmates in the prison were imprisoned due to drug-related cases. [9]

Fire

Police members transferring the bodies of the victims into an ambulance. Police members transferring the bodies of the Tangerang prison fire to an ambulance.jpg
Police members transferring the bodies of the victims into an ambulance.

The fire started at 01:45 local time, when a small fire occurred in sector C2 of the prison. [10] A prison employee, Iyan Sofyan, heard screams from inside the sector's cells. [11] Several other wardens and guards tried to evacuate the entire sector, but were only able to evacuate 20 inmates. [11] The sector housed inmates being held for drug-related offences and had a capacity for 38 but at least three times that were housed there [12] with a spokeswoman for the ministry's corrections department reporting that 122 individuals were housed in a space for 38. [13]

According to the prison's protocols, the inmates were kept in locked cells, but as the fire spread the prison employees did not manage to unlock every room. [14] All the deaths occurred in the locked cells. [15] Firefighters were alerted of the disaster shortly after, and around 30 fire trucks were deployed. The fire trucks arrived on the scene at 02:00, [16] had the fire under control by around 03:00, [17] and finally extinguished the flames roughly two hours after they began. [18]

Multiple Indonesian officials immediately arrived at the scene. Police chief of Jakarta Inspector-General M. Fadil Imran arrived in the morning and deployed around 150 police, mostly Brimob members, to secure the prison perimeters. [18] Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly and deputy minister Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej followed shortly at around 10 AM local time. [19]

Casualties

Some of the inmates that were killed during the fire Inmates killed in the Tangerang prison fire.pdf
Some of the inmates that were killed during the fire

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, 41 inmates were killed, eight others seriously injured, and 73 lightly injured. [5] [4] The injured victims were brought to the Sitanala Hospital and the Tangerang Regency General Hospital. [1] A day after the fire, three critically injured victims died in hospital, bringing the death toll to 44. [20] The death toll rose to 46 six days after the fire. [21] [22] The death toll later rose to 49. [23]

Most of the dead inmates were imprisoned for drug-related crimes, while a number of others were imprisoned for terrorism and murder. Two of the dead inmates were foreigners: one from South Africa and the other from Portugal. [24] All of the injured inmates were convicted for drug-related charges. [17]

Investigation

Initial investigations by the police indicated that the fire occurred due to a short circuit. [10] The electrical wiring of the prison had not been upgraded since the prison was built in 1972, and there was also a shortage of fire extinguishers. [12]

Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly holding a press conference around an hour after his arrival. Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly in the Tangerang prison fire press conference.jpg
Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly holding a press conference around an hour after his arrival.

Aftermath

Member of the People's Representative Council Syarifuddin Sudding demanded responsibility from Laoly in regards to the incident. [25] In response to the demands, Laoly formed five teams to assist in handling the incident, with each team being responsible for victim identification, victims' funerals, victims' family recovery, coordination of handling, or public relations. [26]

The President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, via his spokesperson Fadjroel Rachman, delivered his condolences to the victims and stated his expectation that the disaster could be handled with few casualties. [27]

Following the accident, Laoly announced that the relatives of the victims would be compensated. Each next-of-kin of the deceased would receive Rp 30 million (US$ 2,120). [28]

Mayor of Tangerang Arief Rachadiono Wismansyah announced that the city would provide financial compensation for the relatives of the victims. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tangerang</span> Largest city of Banten, Indonesia

Tangerang is a city in the province of Banten, Indonesia. Located on the western border of Jakarta, it is the third largest urban centre in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area after Jakarta and Bekasi; the sixth largest city proper in the nation; and the largest city in Banten province. It has an area of 164.55 km2 (63.53 sq mi) and an official 2010 Census population of 1,798,601, which had risen to 1,895,486 at the 2020 Census – making it the eighth most populated suburb in the world at the latter date; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 1,912,679 - comprising 961,354 males and 951,325 females.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in Indonesia</span> Overview of terrorism in Indonesia

Terrorism in Indonesia refer to acts of terrorism that take place within Indonesia or attacks on Indonesian people or interests abroad. These acts of terrorism often target the government of Indonesia or foreigners in Indonesia, most notably Western visitors, especially those from the United States and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 West Java earthquake</span> Earthquake in Indonesia

An earthquake occurred on September 2, 2009 at 14:55:01 local time in West Java, Indonesia. The magnitude 7.0 earthquake killed at least 81 people, injured over 1,297, and displaced over 210,000. The quake was felt in the capital Jakarta, although damage there was minimal, and it was Indonesia's deadliest earthquake since the 2006 Pangandaran earthquake and tsunami.

The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Indonesia.

Mohamad, Ardyan (2016-03-31). "Filipina tolak TNI ikut bebaskan WNI disandera Abu Sayyaf". merdeka.com. Retrieved 2023-05-25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pesing railway station</span> Railway station in Indonesia

Pesing Station (PSG) is a railway station in Wijaya Kusuma, Grogol Petamburan, West Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the third station on the Duri-Tangerang branch line and KRL Commuterline Brown Line service. The station is near to the office of television broadcasting company Indosiar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yasonna Laoly</span> Indonesian politician

Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly is the current Minister of Law and Human Rights of Indonesia. He was a member of the North Sumatra regional legislature from 1999 to 2003 and of the People's Consultative Assembly from 2004 to 2014. He is the first ethnic Nias to hold a cabinet position. He is one of the leaders on the central executive board of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

2017 (MMXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2017th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 17th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 8th year of the 2010s decade.

The Tangerang fireworks disaster occurred on 26 October 2017 at the PT. Panca Buana Cahaya Sukses, a fireworks manufacturing factory in Kosambi, Tangerang, Indonesia. The explosion occurred in a warehouse connected to the factory and ignited a large fire. 103 people were working at the factory at the time of the explosion. At least 49 people were killed and 46 others were injured in the fireworks accident. Authorities confirmed that several people were still missing. It was the deadliest industrial accident in Indonesia.

2018 (MMXVIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2018th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 18th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 9th year of the 2010s decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Balikpapan oil spill</span> Damaged offshore oil pipeline in Indonesia

The 2018 Balikpapan oil spill was an oil spill off the coast from the city of Balikpapan, Indonesia. It was caused by a cracked pipeline linked to a Pertamina refinery in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami</span> 7.5 Mw earthquake Landslide and tsunami in Indonesia

On 28 September 2018, a shallow, large earthquake struck in the neck of the Minahasa Peninsula, Indonesia, with its epicentre located in the mountainous Donggala Regency, Central Sulawesi. The magnitude 7.5 quake was located 70 km (43 mi) away from the provincial capital Palu and was felt as far away as Samarinda on East Kalimantan and also in Tawau, Malaysia. This event was preceded by a sequence of foreshocks, the largest of which was a magnitude 6.1 tremor that occurred earlier that day.

2019 (MMXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2019th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 19th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 10th and last year of the 2010s decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Sunda Strait earthquake</span> 2 August 2019, earthquake in Indonesia

The 2019 Sunda Strait earthquake occurred on the night of 2 August 2019, when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled Sunda Strait at a moderate depth of 52.8 kilometres. The epicentre was located 214 km from Bandar Lampung, the capital of Lampung and 147 km west of Sumur, Pandeglang Regency. The earthquake struck with a maximum intensity of VI (Strong). The earthquake prompted a tsunami warning in the area, with authorities urging coastal residents to immediately evacuate to higher grounds.

2021 (MMXXI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2021st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 21st year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 2nd year of the 2020s decade.

<i>Zahro Express</i> disaster 2017 ferry disaster in Indonesia

The Zahro Express disaster occurred on the morning of 1 January 2017 when an Indonesian-flagged wooden passenger vessel caught fire in the waters of Thousands Islands Regency, off the coast of Jakarta. She was travelling from Jakarta's Muara Angke to Tidung Island, a popular tourist destination. The ferry, named MV Zahro Express, was carrying 216 passengers and 5 crew members. Of the 221 passengers and crews, a total of 24 people on board lost their lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Semeru eruption</span> Volcanic eruption in Indonesia

An eruption of Mount Semeru, a volcano in East Java province of the Indonesian island of Java, began on 4 December 2021. The eruption began after heavy precipitation caused the collapse of the lava dome at the summit. Pyroclastic flows and lahars damaged at least 5,205 homes and several public buildings. At least 69 people died, 104 more were injured, while more than five remain missing.

A train crash occurred on July 26, 2022 when a Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) Lokal Merak train crashed into an odong-odong at a level crossing in Serang, Banten, Indonesia on Tuesday morning, causing at least one odong-odong to be overturned. At least nine people were killed and another 24 were wounded in the crash.

2023 (MMXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2023rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 23rd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 4th year of the 2020s decade.

On 3 March 2023, a fire followed by an explosion occurred at a Pertamina oil depot in Plumpang, Koja, Jakarta. The fire spread to nearby residential areas, and at least thirty three people were killed.

References

  1. 1 2 Bhwana, Petir Garda (8 September 2021). "Police Say Fire in Tangerang Prison Caused by Short Circuit". Tempo. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "Indonesia prison fire: Tangerang jail blaze kills 41 inmates". BBC News. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  3. ↑ Darmawan, Rakha Arlyanto (16 September 2021). "Bertambah, Korban Tewas Kebakaran Lapas Tangerang Jadi 49 Orang". Detik. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "Dozens killed in fire at overcrowded Indonesian prison". Al Jazeera . 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Suroyo, Gayatri (8 September 2021). "Fire at overcrowded Indonesian prison kills at least 40 -official". Reuters . Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  6. ↑ Zulfikar, Muhammad; Liman, Uyu (8 September 2021). "South African, Portuguese nationals die in Tangerang Prison blaze". Antara. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  7. ↑ Jamaluddin, Masrur (8 September 2021). "Fire at a prison in Indonesia kills at least 41 people". CNN. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  8. ↑ "Penjara Dijual ke Swasta". Kompas. 6 November 1972. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  9. ↑ Hudzaifi, Ahmad (23 March 2017). Prisonisasi Dan Pembelajaran Kejahatan Di Lembaga Pemasyarakatan (Studi Kasus: Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Klas I Tangerang). Jakarta: UIN Jakarta. pp. 40–41.
  10. 1 2 Putra, Erik Purnama (8 September 2021). "Kapolda Duga Pemicu Kebakaran Lapas Akibat Korsleting". Republika. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  11. 1 2 Cipta, Ayu (8 September 2021). "Lapas Tangerang Terbakar: Sempat Terdengar Teriakan Kebakaran, 100 Napi Terjebak". Tempo. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Dozens killed in fire at overcrowded Indonesian prison". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  13. ↑ Francis, Ellen (8 September 2021). "A fire in a packed Indonesian prison killed 41 convicts. Many were trapped in their cells". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "Fire kills 41 in overcrowded Indonesia prison block". Reuters. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  15. ↑ Darmawan, Rakha Ariyanto (8 September 2021). "41 Napi Lapas Tangerang Tewas dalam Sel Terkunci". detiknews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  16. ↑ Suryo, Danang (8 September 2021). "Kebakaran Hebat di Lapas I Tangerang, Damkar Ungkap Terjadi Jam 2 Pagi". Kompas. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  17. 1 2 "Berikut Identitas Korban Luka Kebakaran di Lapas Tangerang". TV One. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  18. 1 2 Putra, Erik Purnama (8 September 2021). "Polda Metro Jaya Kerahkan 150 Personel Jaga Lapas Tangerang". Republika. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  19. ↑ Aditya, Nicholas Ryan (8 September 2021). "Menkumham dan Wamenkumham Cek Langsung Lokasi Kebakaran Lapas Tangerang". Kompas. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  20. ↑ Da Costa, Agustinus Beo (9 September 2021). "Death toll from Indonesia jail blaze at 44 amid focus on overcrowding". Reuters . Jakarta . Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  21. ↑ "Tambah 1, Napi Meninggal akibat Kebakaran Lapas Tangerang Jadi 45 Orang". 12 September 2021.
  22. ↑ "Tangerang Prison Fire Death Toll Rises To 46". Tempo. 13 September 2021.
  23. ↑ "Why are Indonesian prisons so dangerous?". Al Jazeera. 30 October 2021.
  24. ↑ Rozie, Fachrur (8 September 2021). "2 WNA Meninggal dalam Kebakaran di Lapas Kelas I Tangerang". Liputan 6. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  25. ↑ "DPR Minta Yasonna Tanggung Jawab Kebakaran Lapas Tangerang". CNN Indonesia. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  26. ↑ Irfan, Achmad; Adji, Raka (8 September 2021). "Ministry forms five teams to handle Tangerang prison fire case". Antara. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  27. ↑ Rizky, Fahreza (8 September 2021). "Jokowi Berduka Atas Kebakaran di Lapas Tangerang yang Tewaskan 41 Orang". Sindo News. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  28. ↑ Marhaenjati, Bayu (8 September 2021). "Kebakaran Lapas Tangerang, Korban Meninggal Diberikan Santunan Rp 30 Juta". Berita Satu. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  29. ↑ Naufal, Muhammad (8 September 2021). "Pemkot Akan Berikan Santunan ke Keluarga Korban Tewas di Lapas Tangerang". Kompas. Retrieved 9 September 2021.

06°11′12″S106°38′25″E / 6.18667°S 106.64028°E / -6.18667; 106.64028

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.