200 inmates escape Indonesian jail in epic prison break (VIDEO)

Indonesian authorities say they have recaptured more than 170 inmates who staged a mass escape at a prison on the island of Sumatra.

Around 200 inmates are thought to have absconded from the Sialang Bungkuk jail in Pekanbaru on Friday, in an audacious jail break caught on film.

READ MORE: 60 dead, hundreds escape in Brazil prison riot

According to Indonesia’s Metro TV News, prisoners at the maximum security facility had been staging a protest against conditions when a riot broke out and detainees managed to flee.

© Google map

The incident happened while some people were attending a prayer service, reports Reuters, with inmates seizing the opportunity to tear down a security gate near the prison mosque.

Sialang Bungkuk is located close to homes and local businesses in central Sumatra.

Footage posted online by a local photographer purportedly shows the moment scores of inmates made a run from the authorities.

With alarms sounding in the background, the video depicts crowds of people running away from the prison towards a residential area.

At least 171 prisoners have since been recaptured by the Indonesian Armed Forces and local police, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights said.

Images of police rounding up and placing escaped detainees into armored vehicles have been posted online by the ministry.

A spokesperson for the Indonesian government told RT that a number of prisoners had sustained “minor injuries” as a result of “fighting with each other.”

READ MORE: Inmates take guards hostage at max-security Delaware prison

They said reports of inmates rioting over prison conditions is “being investigated”.