Families mourn 26 killed in deadly Sri Lanka prison riot
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Seven prison officials and 19 prisoners died in two days of fighting between two groups of inmates at a prison in Negombo, Sri Lanka.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- A deadly prison riot in Negombo, Sri Lanka, killed 26 people, including seven prison officials and 19 inmates during two days of violent clashes.
- The riot began after prisoners exposed drug smuggling attempts, escalating tensions in the severely overcrowded prison housing 2,400 inmates.
- Families mourn the dead, including Sergeant S.D.S Abeywardana, with officials paying respects and investigations ongoing into the causes of the violence.
AI generated
COLOMBO – Dularika Perera, 38, found out her cousin was among the 26 people killed in the worst Sri Lankan prison riot in years only when his photo was sent to her on WhatsApp.
Seven prison officials and 19 prisoners died in two days of fighting between two groups of inmates at the prison in the coastal town of Negombo, about 35km north of the commercial capital Colombo, the authorities said.
Clad in white and holding her four-year-old son, Perera was among the grieving relatives and friends waiting on the morning of July 8 for the bodies of the prison officials to be brought to the Welikada Prison in Colombo.
Sergeant S.D.S Abeywardana, 41, had spent a dozen years in Sri Lanka’s navy before joining a special unit of the prison department tasked with tackling corruption, drug trafficking and misconduct.
Abeywardana was among 120 members of the unit sent to the Negombo prison when clashes broke out on July 5 and escalated on July 6.
Six of his colleagues also died after being attacked by inmates using mostly bricks and clubs as they attempted to stop prisoners from escaping.
The bodies of the 19 inmates who died were also released to their families.
Grief and disbelief
“When I heard about the clash, I thought he’s only hospitalised; he would come home,” Perera said, holding back tears. “I never dreamt this would happen.”
“He has a five-year-old daughter and an eight-month-old son. He was more like a brother to me, and we were very close. He looked after everyone in the family. He didn’t deserve to die like this.”
After a post-mortem in Negombo, the seven bodies – covered with the Sri Lankan flag – were escorted by the police to the Welikada Prison to be handed over to their families. White flags fluttered outside the prison gate, and dozens of officials lined up to pay their last respects.
Initial investigations show the fight started when a few prisoners leaked information to prison officials about efforts to smuggle drugs into the prison, Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara told Parliament on July 7.
The Negombo prison housed about 2,400 inmates despite having a capacity of about 650, according to the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners, resulting in severe overcrowding.
Previous incidents of prison violence in Sri Lanka included a riot in November 2020 that left 11 inmates dead and another riot in 2012 in Colombo that left 27 dead. REUTERS
