Sri Lankan authorities have blamed a deadly prison riot that claimed 26 lives on a dispute over drug smuggling inside the Negombo Prison.
Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara told parliament that preliminary investigations showed the violence erupted after some inmates informed prison officials about attempts to smuggle drugs into the overcrowded prison.
According to the minister, the disclosures angered another group of prisoners allegedly involved in the smuggling operation, triggering a violent confrontation that quickly escalated.
The clashes, which lasted for two days, left 26 people dead, including seven prison officials, while about 100 inmates and prison staff sustained injuries and received treatment in hospitals.
Nanayakkara said prison officers came under attack from inmates wielding bricks and metal poles, forcing officers to open fire in self-defence. Authorities are still investigating how prisoners gained access to weapons and how some inmates managed to disable the prison's CCTV surveillance system.
To restore order and ease congestion, prison authorities transferred 734 inmates to four different correctional facilities.
Negombo Prison, designed to accommodate around 650 inmates, was reportedly housing about 2,400 prisoners at the time of the violence, highlighting the severe overcrowding in Sri Lanka's prison system.
Police, special forces and military personnel were deployed to secure the prison, with armoured vehicles remaining stationed outside the facility as investigations continue.
Sri Lanka has witnessed similar prison violence in the past, including riots in 2020 and 2012 that also resulted in significant loss of life.
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