Indonesia prison break: Five die and dozens escape

Five people are reported to have been killed in a riot at a prison in Indonesia's Sumatra island that led to the escape of dozens of inmates.

The riot broke out at Tanjung Gusta prison in Medan on Thursday, leaving parts of the jail engulfed in flames.

Police said the violence was sparked by a power cut that left inmates without water.
Hundreds of security personnel are searching for more than 100 inmates who escaped during the riot.
Officials say the prisoners broke down the doors of the warden's office, fought with the wardens, pelted rocks and set the office on fire, says the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta.
Security forces are still struggling to regain control of the prison, our correspondent adds.
A police spokesman told Agence-France Presse (AFP) that talks would be held later in the day to try and resolve the stand-off.

Overcrowded
Among the escapees were a number of people convicted of terrorism offences, police said.
Some of the fugitives are reported to have been recaptured, but it is not clear how many.
Police were manning checkpoints on roads around the prison, reports said.
At least two prison staff were reported to be among the dead. One report said they had died in a building that was set on fire.

The violence erupted after a power cut knocked out pumps that provide water to the prison, which is home to more than 2,600 inmates - even though it was built to house just over 1,000.
"The prisoners were annoyed by a blackout and problems getting water, which they said happens often at the prison," Heru Prakoso, a spokesman for North Sumatra province police, told Agence France Presse.

Indonesia's prisons are typically underfunded and overcrowded. The UK-based International Centre for Prison Studies estimated that in 2012, the Indonesian prison system was at almost 150% capacity.
Last year, the biggest jail on Bali island also saw days of rioting before officials were able to regain control.
Medan is the capital of North Sumatra and Indonesia's fourth-largest city.

BBC News Asia