At least three people have died after protests in eastern Indonesia turned violent, following the death of a motorcycle taxi driver struck by a police vehicle, local media reported.
“Eight people were rescued from the burning Makassar City DPRD Office, three of whom were declared dead, reportedly trapped inside when the fire erupted,” Kompas TV cited Fadli Tahar, acting head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency, as saying.
Protesters also set multiple vehicles ablaze and threw rocks and Molotov cocktails, injuring four others.
The unrest erupted after 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan was killed when a police armored vehicle hit him while he was completing a food delivery on Thursday.
Thousands of riders, human rights activists, and politicians attended his funeral on Friday.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressed sorrow over the incident and ordered an investigation into the police officer involved, stressing that those responsible must be held accountable.
Police chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo also apologised to Affan’s family and the public, vowing a thorough probe into the officer’s actions.
