Prisoners fail to return after tsunami alert

BANDA ACEH—Indonesian authorities on Thursday were hunting for 32 prisoners who were released temporarily during a tsunami alert triggered by a massive quake, a local police chief said.

Dumadi, police chief of Pidie district in Aceh province, said 63 prisoners left through an open gate after Wednesday’s massive 8.6-magnitude quake that triggered a tsunami warning across the Indian Ocean, but that not all had returned.

“We are still searching for 32 prisoners who haven’t returned since last night,” said Dumadi, who goes by one name.

Guards left the prison gate open during the alert to allow prisoners to try to save their lives if a tsunami struck, he said.

Fears of a tsunami run high in Aceh, which was virtually flattened during a 2004 tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province.

Wednesday’s quake did not result in a sizeable tsunami and inflicted only minor damage.