Death toll from Indonesian prison fire rises to 44

Jakarta, Sep 10 The number of inmates killed in the fire at a prison in Tangerang, a town near the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, has increased to 44, the Law and Human Rights Ministry reported.

"Three people died today after being hospitalised due to severe burns," Rika Aprianti, Ministry spokesperson, told Xinhua news agency on Thursday.

Currently, five inmates are still under medical treatment at a hospital, including one who broke his leg after jumping from a height of two metres amid the fire.

The fire broke out on Wednesday at Block C2 of the overcrowded prison, which held up to 2,072 inmates with the designed capacity of 600 people.

The fire spread in locked detention rooms and killed 41 people on the same day, including two prisoners from South Africa and Portugal.

Medics struggled to identify the bodies because of the serious burns.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said that that the fire was suspected to be caused by an electrical short circuit.