Negombo prison riot leaves at least 25 dead amid overcrowding
Clashes among inmates and the subsequent action by security forces have left several dead and more than a hundred injured in the prison, which is about 35 kilometres from the Sri Lankan capital. The tragedy reignites the debate over the conditions in the country’s prisons, which have been characterised by chronic overcrowding for years.
Colombo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – At least 25 people have died, including five prison officers, and over a hundred have been injured in a violent riot that broke out in Negombo prison, about 35 kilometres from Colombo. This is the most serious incident of its kind in the last five years, although overcrowding in Sri Lankan prisons has been a chronic problem.
The authorities reported that clashes began Sunday evening inside the prison between rival groups of inmates. According to some reports, drug trafficking groups were involved, but the causes of the riot are still unclear.
Police and special forces moved in to regain control of the facility, while the army was placed on alert and the Air Force flew drones and helicopters over the area to monitor the situation.
The director of Negombo Hospital, Pushpa Gamlath, confirmed that more than a hundred people, including inmates and officers, had been hospitalised, noting that victims suffered gunshot wounds, deep cuts, and severe bruises.
Tensions also ran high in the women's section. As the fighting continued, some women inmates climbed onto the roof of the building, demanding to be evacuated. However, part of the roof collapsed.
Outside the prison, hundreds of inmates' relatives gathered awaiting news of their loved ones, while security forces maintained a massive security presence to prevent the situation from escalating further.
To bring the situation under control, the Department of Prisons today began transferring inmates from Negombo to other custodial facilities across the country.
The riot has brought renewed attention to the conditions in Sri Lanka's prisons.
According to official data, the country's prisons currently house more than 41,000 inmates, about four times their total capacity.
This is not the first time a crisis of this kind has erupted. In December 2020, eleven inmates died during a riot in Mahara prison, just outside Colombo, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the authorities said that they opened an inquiry to determine why the violence broke out, and establish how inmates managed to escalate violence inside a maximum-security prison.
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