Clashes in Sri Lankan prison leave at least 25 dead, mostly inmates

A Sri Lankan national flag.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Clashes broke out inside a prison in the outskirts of Sri Lanka’s capital, killing at least 25 people, most of them inmates, and injuring more than 100, officials said Monday.

The unrest at the prison in Negombo, about 35 kilometres north of the capital, Colombo, started among inmates on Sunday, and when guards attempted to intervene on Monday, “they (inmates) started attacking the prison officials,” prison spokesman A.C. Gajanayake said.

He told reporters that some inmates attempted to escape but were stopped.

An official at the main state-run hospital in the area said seven prison officials and 18 inmates had died while another 43 were being treated for injuries. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Three other hospitals were also treating dozens of injured, he said.

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said the first clash erupted between two rival gangs connected to illegal drug trade. After the authorities restored order on Monday evening, Nanayakkara said the inmates who led the violence were transferred to two other prisons.

Army troops were also deployed around the prison.

Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested, with more than 39,000 inmates crowded into a system with a total capacity of just 10,000.

By Bharatha Mallawarachi