Donggala Quake Destroys Prison Wall, Prisoners Escape
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Kamis, 1 Januari 1970 07:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Most of the inmates detained at Class II-A Penitentiary in Palu escaped after the prison wall collapsed due to the Donggala earthquake on Friday afternoon, September 28.
The prison officers could not hold them because they were trying to save themselves from the earthquake.
The Head of Palu Penitentiary, Adhi Yan Ricoh, said there were 560 inmates and more than half escaped as the prison wall collapsed.
“At that time, the electricity went out and there were only a few officers. Moreover, they also panicked and tried to save themselves,” said Adhi.
Read: Sulawesi Quake, Tsunami Killed at Least 384
According to Adhi, he had not thought about conducting a search since everyone is busy with the evacuation process.
“Let alone to search for prisoners who escape, we haven't even reported our current condition to the main office. No electricity and no telecommunication network,” he said.
Based on the data from mitigation agency BNPB, the casualty reached 384 lives, which was expected to increase since the search is still ongoing. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Donggala on Friday which was followed by a tsunami.
The natural disasters destroyed thousands of house, school buildings, governmental offices, and bridges. The authority is still collecting data on the damage caused by the disasters.
ANTARA
