Greater than 50 prisoners escape from ‘overcrowded’ jail after breaking through security | News World

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Greater than 50 inmates in an Indonesian prison staged an escape as officers scrambled to stop them.

Video showed the prisoners jumping over fences, running down the essential road near the prison gates and even climbing on the roof in a bid to flee Kutacane Penitentiary in southeast Indonesia.

The prison break happened on Monday when the prisoners were lined up for food contained in the canteen, it’s been reported.

Good Samaritans were seen attempting to stop the criminals from escaping by tackling and grabbing them as they fled.

32 escapees are still on the run, but 21 have been brought back into the jail.

Police Chief Doni Sumarsono said: ‘We’re still actively trying to find the remaining fugitives and urge them to give up. It’s higher to show yourselves in than to face harsher sentences.’

Prisoners clashed with civilians as they escaped (Picture: HIDAYATULLAH)
Uncleared grabs: Dramatic moment more than FIFTY prisoners break down jail door and cause chaos as they flee
Others jumped over fences in a bid to flee (Picture: HIDAYATULLAH)

Overcrowding is assumed to have contributed to the escape plan – officials said Kutacane Penitentiary is made to carry 100 inmates, but currently holds greater than 350.

El Salvador also has issues with prison overcrowding, which resulted in the development of ‘Latin America’s biggest prison’ as leader Nayib Bukele launched his purge against the country’s gangs.

Capable of hold 40,000 inmates – nearly half your entire UK prison population – the power is made up of eight sprawling pavilions.

Its cells hold 65 to 70 prisoners each. None receive visits.

Many human rights organisations have spoken out against the power, and Bukele’s security policy more broadly.

A report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), published in September 2024, warned that the variety of inmates on the prison was much higher than the newest official figures released, and that overcrowding could reach 133%.

They concluded that every inmate had a mean space of just 0.60sq meters, a violation of international standards.

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