COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – At least 25 people were killed and about 100 others injured after two days of violent clashes between rival groups of inmates at Negombo Prison, one of Sri Lanka’s largest correctional facilities, authorities said Monday. The incident is among the deadliest prison riots in the country’s recent history.
The unrest began on Sunday inside the prison in Negombo, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Colombo, and escalated on Monday as prison officials attempted to stop the fighting. Authorities said inmates attacked prison personnel, while some prisoners tried to escape but were prevented from leaving the facility.
Reuters reported that the violence erupted between convicted inmates serving long-term sentences and prisoners being held in temporary detention. Of the 25 fatalities, six were prison officials, while the remaining victims were inmates. Around 100 people were injured, with some suffering gunshot wounds, cuts and bruises, according to hospital officials. Eighteen of the injured were transferred to another hospital for further treatment.
Police riot squads, Special Task Force personnel, and additional security units were deployed to regain control of the prison. The Sri Lanka Air Force also provided aerial surveillance using a helicopter and drones as authorities secured the compound. By Monday evening, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said the prison had been brought under full government control and that an investigation into the violence was underway.
Prisons Department spokesman A.C. Gajanayake said the initial altercation broke out during breakfast before escalating into widespread violence. He added that investigators are examining whether drug trafficking inside the prison played a role in triggering the clashes, although the exact cause has not yet been established.
Outside the prison, anxious relatives gathered behind police barricades as ambulances transported the injured to nearby hospitals. Security remained tight throughout the day as authorities searched parts of the prison to account for inmates and recover any weapons used during the riot.
The violence has renewed attention on Sri Lanka’s overcrowded prison system. According to official figures, the country’s prisons house more than 39,000 inmates despite having a combined capacity of only about 10,000, creating chronic overcrowding and straining security and rehabilitation efforts. Negombo Prison alone holds approximately 2,400 inmates.
The latest incident is the country’s deadliest prison riot in years. Previous major outbreaks of prison violence include a 2020 riot that left 11 inmates dead and a 2012 prison uprising in Colombo that claimed 27 lives, highlighting long-standing challenges facing Sri Lanka’s correctional system.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
