Deadly Prison Riot in Sri Lanka Kills 23, Injures Over 100
Quick Look
- A prison riot in Sri Lanka's Negombo Prison, sparked by clashes between two drug gangs, has resulted in at least 23 deaths, including six guards, and over 100 injuries.
- Police and commandos were deployed, with drones monitoring the area, as Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara expressed shock.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The riot, the country's deadliest in years, began Sunday evening at Negombo Prison, which housed several thousand inmates, four times its capacity. This follows a December 2020 riot at another Sri Lankan prison that killed 11 inmates, prompting releases from overcrowded jails.
At least 23 people have been killed, including six prison guards, and more than 100 others injured in clashes at a prison in Sri Lanka.
It is the country's deadliest prison riot in years.
Victims with cuts and gunshot injuries were rushed to Negombo Hospital, north of the capital Colombo, on Monday following fighting between inmates from two drug gangs, police said.
Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara expressed "profound shock and grief", and said authorities were working to separate the rival gangs in the prison.
"Whether they were inmates, or associated with the underworld, is not relevant to us at this moment," Mr Nanayakkara said. "Human beings have died, and there is a deep shock regarding that. This is something that should never have occurred."
He said fighting began on Sunday evening at Negombo Prison, which housed several thousand inmates.
Prison spokesman Chaminda Gajanayake said some inmates attempted to break out on Monday morning, as others clashed with armed guards during breakfast.
"They made a dash to the main gate, but we were able to hold them back," Mr Gajanayake told reporters outside the prison.
As reports of the fighting spread, female inmates in an adjoining section of the prison climbed onto a roof and demanded their release.
Police said part of the roof then collapsed, injuring some of the women.
Police and commandos were deployed to guard the perimeter of the prison with the air force using drones and a helicopter to monitor the area where large crowds of relatives of inmates had gathered.
Prison officials confirmed some prisoners had been relocated to other prisons.
Hospital director Pushpa Gamlath said there were 23 bodies at the state-run facility, as well as more than 100 wounded inmates and guards from Negombo Prison.
"There are some victims with gunshot injuries, some with cuts and severe bruises," Mr Gamlath told AFP. "We transferred 18 of the more seriously wounded to the Colombo National hospital."
In December 2020, rioting at another prison in Sri Lanka killed 11 inmates and wounded 117 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading the government to release hundreds of inmates from overcrowded jails.
Official data showed that prisons across Sri Lanka held 41,250 inmates as of Sunday, about four times their capacity.
Open Questions
- What specific measures will be taken to separate rival gangs?
- What is the long-term plan for prison overcrowding?
- Will there be an official investigation into the riot's causes?