Sri Lanka opens prison riot probe as toll rises to 27
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A relative of a victim killed in clashes between inmates of two drug gangs grieves in front of the Negombo prison on the outskirts of Colombo on July 7.
PHOTO: AFP
- Sri Lanka launched a criminal investigation and government commission after a deadly prison riot at Negombo prison killed 27 and wounded over 100, caused by clashes between rival drug gangs.
- Rival inmates overpowered guards, seized weapons and fired inside the overcrowded prison, leading to seven guard deaths and severe injuries to 97 victims still hospitalised.
- The incident highlighted Sri Lanka's overcrowded prisons operating at four times capacity, renewing scrutiny and prompting inmate transfers and increased security measures.
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COLOMBO - Sri Lanka launched an investigation on July 7 into its deadliest prison riot in years, as the death toll from clashes between rival drug gangs rose to 27.
Armed police and commandos were not sent into the prison but were deployed to guard the perimeter of Negombo prison, as the authorities tightened security following the clashes on July 6 that also wounded more than 100.
Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara told Parliament on July 7 that a criminal investigation had begun alongside a government-appointed commission.
Police said the death toll was at least 27 people, including another inmate who died overnight.
They also said a preliminary investigation has found that rival gangs clashed inside the prison in the capital’s north before overpowering guards, seizing their weapons and opening fire.
Nanayakkara said inmates had also smashed a CCTV camera in the chaos.
Doctors said 97 victims, including 23 prison officers, are still in Negombo hospital with gunshot wounds, cuts and severe bruises.
Another 19 inmates were being treated at a hospital in Colombo.
Seven guards were killed when they tried to break up the rioting on July 6, a police official told AFP.
Nanayakkara, who visited victims in hospital on July 6, was shocked by the scale of the violence.
“Human beings have died, and there is deep shock over that. This is something that should never have occurred,” he said.
An AFP photographer outside the prison saw prison buses transferring some inmates out of the facility as police kept the area cordoned off. Officials confirmed they were being relocated to other prisons.
Prison authorities said foreign nationals held at Negombo were not caught up in the violence, but were transferred as a precaution.
Scrutiny over Sri Lanka’s chronically overcrowded prison system has been renewed as official figures show the country’s prisons are operating at roughly four times their intended capacity.
Rioting at another prison in Sri Lanka in December 2020 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. AFP
