At Least 23 Killed in Sri Lanka Prison Clash, Over 100 Injured

At least 23 people, including four prison guards, were killed and more than 100 others injured in a violent clash at a prison in Sri Lanka, officials said on Monday. The incident is the country's deadliest prison riot in more than five years

According to police, the violence erupted overnight at the main prison in Negombo, north of the capital Colombo, following clashes between inmates belonging to two rival drug gangs.

Pushpa Gamlath, director of the state-run Negombo Hospital, told AFP that the hospital had received 23 bodies. More than 100 injured prisoners and prison guards were also admitted for treatment.

"Some of the victims had gunshot wounds, while others suffered injuries from sharp weapons. Many also sustained severe trauma and other serious injuries," Gamlath said.

Officials said the fighting began on Sunday evening inside the overcrowded Negombo Prison, which houses several thousand inmates. As news of the unrest spread through the facility, female prisoners in a nearby section climbed onto the roof of a building on Sunday night, demanding their release.

Police said part of the roof later collapsed, injuring several female inmates. Although police commandos were called in on Monday to help contain the situation, they were not deployed inside the prison.

Large crowds of relatives gathered outside the prison on Monday as authorities monitored the situation. The Sri Lanka Air Force also deployed drones and a helicopter to assist with surveillance.

Local residents reported hearing gunfire throughout the night. A police official told AFP that four prison guards were killed while attempting to stop the riot, adding that the situation had spiraled out of control by Monday morning.

The unrest marks Sri Lanka's deadliest prison violence since December 2020, when 11 inmates were killed and 117 others injured during a riot at another prison at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following that incident, the government released hundreds of prisoners to ease overcrowding.

According to official figures, Sri Lanka's prison population stood at 41,250 inmates as of Sunday, despite the country's prison system having a capacity for only about one-quarter of that number.