Gang riots in Sri Lankan prison, 25 people die

Chaos broke out on the evening of July 5, when prisoners belonging to two drug gangs clashed at Negombo prison, about 35 km north of the capital Colombo. The fights continued to break out today and turned into riots, when inmates stole the warden’s guns.

“Four prison guards died while trying to disperse the riot,” a police official said. “The situation got out of control this morning.”

As news of the riot spread throughout the prison, female prisoners in the adjacent area climbed onto the roof and demanded to be released. Authorities said the weight caused part of the prison’s roof to collapse, injuring several women.

Special police were dispatched to the prison today but have not yet raided inside. Officials confirmed at least 25 people, including prison guards and prisoners, were killed.

A large number of prisoners’ relatives gathered outside the prison, while the air force deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and helicopters to monitor the area.

Local residents said they heard multiple gunshots inside the prison. Brigadier General Waruna Gamage, spokesman for the Sri Lankan army, said they had received a request to assist the police but had not yet taken any action to suppress it.

Pushpa Gamlath, director of nearby Negombo hospital, said her facility had received more than 100 injured prisoners and guards. “Some victims suffered gunshot wounds, others suffered serious cuts and bruises,” she said.

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara expressed “shock and sadness” and said authorities were trying to separate rival gangs in the prison.

“Whether they are prisoners or part of the underworld is not important to us at the moment,” he told reporters in Colombo. “Someone has died and it’s a big shock. This is something that should never have happened.”

Prison spokeswoman Chaminda Gajanayake said some inmates tried to escape this morning, while others clashed with guards during breakfast time.

“They rushed straight towards the main gate, but we were able to stop them in time,” he said.

This is the bloodiest prison riot in Sri Lanka in the past 5 years.

Negombo Prison is where several thousand prisoners are detained. In December 2020, a riot occurred at another prison in Sri Lanka, killing 11 prisoners and injuring 117 people at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, the Sri Lankan government was forced to release hundreds of prisoners from overcrowded prisons.

Data show that as of July 5, prisons across Sri Lanka were holding 41,250 prisoners, about 4 times more than capacity.