AT LEAST 19 KILLED IN SRI LANKA PRISON CLASHES

Clashes between inmates from two drug gangs at Negombo prison in Sri Lanka killed at least 19 people, including four guards, and wounded more than 100, according to police and hospital officials. The violence began on Sunday evening at the facility, which houses nearly 10,000 inmates, and continued into Monday. Pushpa Gamlath, director of Negombo hospital north of the capital Colombo, confirmed that 19 bodies were brought to the state-run facility and more than 100 wounded inmates and guards were admitted for treatment. Hospital staff reported that some victims sustained gunshot injuries.

The four guards were killed whilst attempting to break up the rioting, according to a police official. Police commandos were called in but were not deployed inside the prison. Authorities deployed drones to monitor the situation, whilst large crowds of relatives of inmates gathered outside the facility. Local residents reported hearing gunshots during the overnight clashes, which officials described as the worst prison riot in more than five years.

Sri Lanka's prison system faces significant overcrowding. Official data showed that prisons across the country held 41,250 inmates as of Sunday, approximately four times their designed capacity. In December 2020, rioting at another Sri Lankan prison killed 11 inmates and wounded 117 during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting the government to release hundreds of inmates from overcrowded facilities.