Riot at Kerobokan Jail Getting Really Intense, Prisoners Taking Over
Raging prisoners have created a high alert in the overcrowded Kerobokan detention center in Bali, where 12 Australian drug traffickers are held including the Gold Coast's Schapelle Corby, Bali Nine, Michael Sacatides from Sydney and Graeme Pollock from Darwin.
The wrath ended up in a riot that forced prison staff to abandon the facility last night. Over 1000 inmates started to throw stones at police and triggered fires making it hard for the officers to reclaim control.
The riot sparked at around 11 p.m. Tuesday when someone threw stones at the guards and setting furniture on fire. A few inmates gained access to the jail's offices and to the area close to the facility's main entrance. Outside walls, however, remained undamaged.
According to a witness, firefighters were attempting to put out the fire while several equipment, window frames and furniture were burning.
Armed forces that include the paramilitary police from the country's highly competent brigadier unit carrying tear gas weapons and AK-47 rifles were surrounding the facility.
Ketut Untung Yoga, Police Deputy Chief, said members of the squad had already gone inside the prison. No dead bodies were found. The crew is more focused on putting out the fire.
Hundreds of other heavily-armed officers and armies are on high alert outside the detention center, located in an uptown area in Kerobokan, which is 30 minutes away from the Bali airport.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra is currently investigating on the incident.
Bowo Nariwono, prison's incoming governor, confirmed that the root cause of the disturbance was the stabbing of a prisoner last Sunday afternoon, where three were arrested. The incident triggered tension between inmates and so resulted to a riot.
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