COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - A clash between guards and inmates at a Sri Lankan prison on Tuesday injured at least 28 people, officials said.

Soldiers were deployed to control the prisoners, who set fire to the records room.

Reporters outside heard gunshots from within the compound in Colombo, and police fired tear gas.

Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said 24 prisoners and four guards were hurt. He said the inmates were protesting a move to curtail the smuggling of narcotics into the prison.

Rohana did not describe the anti-drug measures, but a man who lives near the prison who gave only his first name, Kumara, said there had been disturbances for several days after authorities banned food brought by relatives for the inmates.

Some prisoners were seen on the roof shouting slogans and holding a banner demanding the removal of the prison chief. Some threw stones at vehicles on a nearby main road, forcing police to close the road for several hours.

Dr. Prasad Ariyawansa of Colombo National Hospital said most of the injured prisoners had gunshot wounds. Three officers were hit by stones and another had a leg fracture, he said, adding that the injuries were not life threatening.