Chillies aid Sumatra jail break!!

The prisoners, armed with chilli water, stormed the gate

Eighteen Indonesian prisoners broke out of jail using an unusual weapon - the chilli pepper. Prisoners at Pematang Sinatar jail in Sumatra mixed hot chillies with water in plastic bottles to spray at guards.

The fiery liquid temporarily blinded the guards, allowing prisoners to grab their keys and make the break for freedom.

Sixteen of the inmates had now been recaptured, a police official said, but two were still on the run.

The men were meant to be on their way to breakfast but instead stormed the prison gate, Detective Den Martin told the Associated Press news agency.

They were spraying the chilli water and shouting "attack, attack", he said.

A prison warder, Harianaja, told the Jakarta Post newspaper that the guards could not fight back because they were outnumbered.

"The is the first time chilli has been used to get out of this penitentiary," the daily quoted him as saying.