Dozens Dead as Rival Inmates Unleash Chaos at ‘Deadliest’ Prison

At least 25 people were killed and nearly 100 others injured after two days of brutal clashes between rival groups of inmates turned a crowded prison in Sri Lanka into a scene of chaos and bloodshed.

Security forces struggled to regain control of Negombo Prison, located in the coastal town of Negombo about 20 miles north of Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo. Authorities described the violence as the country’s deadliest prison unrest in years.

The fighting reportedly began Sunday between convicted inmates serving longer sentences and prisoners being held temporarily at the facility, which houses roughly 2,400 people.

Two prisoners were killed during the initial outbreak of violence, while 38 inmates suffered injuries.

The situation became significantly more deadly Monday morning when another round of fighting erupted as prisoners were being served breakfast. An additional 23 people were killed, including six prison officials.

“The fight broke out when the prisoners were being served breakfast,” Department of Prisons spokesman Chamika Gajanayake told reporters outside the facility.

Gajanayake said prison officers attempted to intervene, but the inmates turned on them, chasing officials toward the prison gates and attempting to escape.

Police riot-control units armed with batons were sent to the prison, along with heavily equipped police special forces. A police bus was used to transport injured inmates to a nearby hospital, with some victims reportedly sprawled across the floor as they were rushed for treatment.

Officials said parts of the prison were still being cleared as authorities searched the facility and attempted to confirm the full extent of the violence.

Outside the prison, dozens of anxious relatives gathered behind a police cordon, desperate for information about loved ones held inside. Emotional scenes unfolded as family members grieved, cried and displayed photographs of prisoners believed to have been killed or gone missing.

Gajanayake said the violence appeared to be connected to drug trafficking, although he declined to provide further details because an official investigation had been launched.

Dr. Pushpa Gamlath, director of Negombo Hospital, said approximately 100 injured people were brought to the medical facility.

“Some had gunshot injuries, cuts and bruises,” she told Reuters.

Eighteen patients were later transferred to another hospital for additional treatment.

Sri Lanka’s military was asked to support police operations but initially remained on standby, according to Army spokesman Brigadier Waruna Gamage.

The Sri Lanka Air Force also deployed a helicopter and several drones to monitor activity inside and around the prison.

As darkness approached, dozens of military personnel moved into position around the facility, some arriving in armored vehicles. Special Task Force officers in riot gear also guarded the prison perimeter as authorities worked to prevent another explosion of violence.

Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara visited the prison and later said the facility had been brought back under government control.

Nanayakkara acknowledged that inmates had managed to obtain weapons during the unrest, although he said officials did not yet know exactly how many weapons had fallen into prisoners’ hands.

“I know that some weapons fell into the hands of the prisoners, but at the moment I don’t know the exact number,” he said.

“The entire prison is now under our control and we are conducting investigations. I wish to express my condolences to the families.”

The bloodshed is among the worst prison disasters Sri Lanka has experienced in recent years.

A riot in November 2020 left 11 inmates dead, while another violent uprising at a Colombo prison in 2012 killed 27 people.