Hunt for 250 inmates who fled Papua jail during riots

Indonesian authorities are hunting for more than 250 inmates who fled a prison in Papua that had been set ablaze a day earlier.

The prison break happened as thousands of protestors took the streets in several cities on Monday, blocking roads, damaging an airport and torching buildings.

Officials said about half of the 500-inmates from the prison in Sorong city had since been recaptured.

The protests were triggered by reports that 43 university students were detained for allegedly disrespecting the country's national flag.