Sri Lanka investigates Negombo prison riot after rival gang clashes leave at least 25 dead

A ​police bus carried the injured inmates, some of them sprawled on its floor, to hospital. Areas within the prison were still being cleared, officials said.

Police said the death toll was at least 27 people, including another inmate who died overnight.

More than 100 inmates and prison officials were admitted to Negombo Hospital, with some later transferred to the National Hospital in Colombo. At least 10 of them underwent emergency surgeries, health officials said.

Sri Lanka launched an investigation on Tuesday into its deadliest prison riot in years, as the death toll from clashes between rival drug gangs rose to 27. Armed police and commandos were not sent into the prison but were deployed to guard the perimeter of Negombo prison, as authorities tightened security following the clashes on Monday that also wounded more than 100. Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara told parliament on Tuesday that a criminal investigation had begun alongside a...

A preliminary investigation found that rival gangs clashed inside the prison before overpowering guards, seizing their weapons and opening fire.

Clashes break out in Sri Lankan jail, 26 dead, over 100 hurt

Victims with cuts and gunshot injuries rushed to hospital after fighting between prisoners from two drug gangsClashes at a Sri Lankan jail have killed 26 people, including seven guards, and wounded more than 100 in the country’s deadliest prison riot in years, officials said.Victims with cuts and gunshot injuries were rushed to Negombo hospital, north of the capital Colombo after overnight fighting between prisoners from two drug gangs, police said on Monday. Continue reading...

Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested, with more than 39,000 inmates crowded into a system with a total capacity of just 10,000.

The country has faced criticism from human rights activists for the conditions in its prisons, including overcrowding and failing to protect inmates.

Clashes in a Sri Lankan jail killed 26 people, including seven guards, and wounded more than 100 in the country’s deadliest prison riot in years, officials said Monday. Victims with cuts and gunshot injuries were rushed to Negombo Hospital, north of the capital Colombo following overnight fighting between inmates from two drug gangs, police said. Hospital director Pushpa Gamlath said there were 23 bodies at the state-run facility, as well as more than 100 wounded inmates and guards from Negombo Prison. “There are some victims with gunshot injuries, some with cuts and severe bruises,” Gamlath told AFP by telephone. “We transfered 18 of the more seriously wounded to the Colombo National hospital.” Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara expressed “profound shock and grief”, and said authorities were working to separate the rival gangs in the prison. “Whether they were inmates, or associated with the underworld, is not relevant to us at this moment,” Nanayakkara told reporters in Colombo. “Human beings have died, and there is a deep shock regarding that. This is something that should never have occurred.” He said fighting began on Sunday evening at Negombo Prison, which houses several thousand inmates. As reports of the fighting spread, women inmates in an adjoining section climbed onto a roof and demanded their release. Police said part of the roof collapsed, injuring some of the women. Military personnel patrol outside the Negombo prison on the outskirts of Colombo on July 6, 2026, following overnight clashes between inmates of two drug gangs. —AFP ‘Got out of hand’ Prison spokesman Chaminda Gajanayake said no foreign inmates were affected by the riots. A 22-year-old British woman has been held at Negombo since her arrest in May last year at the international airport with 46 kilos of kush, a highly potent form of cannabis. Gajanayake said some inmates attempted to break out on Monday morning, as others clashed with armed guards during breakfast. “They made a dash to the main gate, but we were able to hold them back,” Gajanayake told reporters outside the prison, where police and commandos were deployed. Armed police or commandos were not sent into the prison, but only guarded the perimeter. An AFP photographer outside the prison saw prison buses transferring some inmates out of the facility. Officials confirmed they were being relocated to other prisons. Large crowds of relatives of inmates gathered outside Negombo Prison on Monday as the air force deployed drones and a helicopter to monitor the area. Local residents said they heard gunshots. The inmates had grabbed several guns from guards earlier in the day. “Six guards were killed when they tried to break up the rioting,” a police official told AFP. “The situation got out of hand this morning.” In December 2020, rioting at another prison in Sri Lanka killed 11 inmates and wounded 117 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading the government to release hundreds of inmates from overcrowded jails. Official data showed that prisons across Sri Lanka held 41,250 inmates as of Sunday, about four times their capacity.

Victims with cuts and gunshot injuries have been rushed to hospital near the capital Colombo following the country's deadliest prison riot in years.

Clashes in a Sri Lankan jail killed 23 people, including six guards, and wounded more than 100 in the country’s deadliest prison riot in years, officials said Monday. Victims with cuts and gunshot injuries were rushed to Negombo Hospital, north of the capital Colombo following overnight fighting between inmates from two drug gangs, police said. Hospital director Pushpa Gamlath said there were 23 bodies at the state-run facility, as well as more than 100 wounded inmates and guards from Negombo Prison. “There are some victims with gunshot injuries, some with cuts and severe bruises,” Gamlath told AFP by telephone. “We transfered 18 of the more seriously wounded to the Colombo National hospital.” Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara expressed “profound shock and grief”, and said authorities were working to separate the rival gangs in the prison. “Whether they were inmates, or associated with the underworld, is not relevant to us at this moment,” Nanayakkara told reporters in Colombo. “Human beings have died, and there is a deep shock regarding that. This is something that should never have occurred.” He said fighting began on Sunday evening at Negombo Prison, which houses several thousand inmates. As reports of the fighting spread, women inmates in an adjoining section climbed onto a roof and demanded their release. Police said part of the roof collapsed, injuring some of the women. Military personnel patrol outside the Negombo prison on the outskirts of Colombo on July 6, 2026, following overnight clashes between inmates of two drug gangs. —AFP ‘Got out of hand’ Prison spokesman Chaminda Gajanayake said no foreign inmates were affected by the riots. A 22-year-old British woman has been held at Negombo since her arrest in May last year at the international airport with 46 kilos of kush, a highly potent form of cannabis. Gajanayake said some inmates attempted to break out on Monday morning, as others clashed with armed guards during breakfast. “They made a dash to the main gate, but we were able to hold them back,” Gajanayake told reporters outside the prison, where police and commandos were deployed. Armed police or commandos were not sent into the prison, but only guarded the perimeter. An AFP photographer outside the prison saw prison buses transferring some inmates out of the facility. Officials confirmed they were being relocated to other prisons. Large crowds of relatives of inmates gathered outside Negombo Prison on Monday as the air force deployed drones and a helicopter to monitor the area. Local residents said they heard gunshots. The inmates had grabbed several guns from guards earlier in the day. “Six guards were killed when they tried to break up the rioting,” a police official told AFP. “The situation got out of hand this morning.” In December 2020, rioting at another prison in Sri Lanka killed 11 inmates and wounded 117 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading the government to release hundreds of inmates from overcrowded jails. Official data showed that prisons across Sri Lanka held 41,250 inmates as of Sunday, about four times their capacity.

Six guards killed, 17 inmates dead after Negombo Prison riot between drug gangs. Guns seized, rooftop collapse injured women inmates.

"The military has been requested to provide support to the police, but at the moment they are on standby," Sri Lankan Army Spokesman Brigadier Waruna Gamage told Reuters.

Twenty-five people were killed and about 100 injured in clashes between two groups of prisoners at a prison in Sri Lanka on Monday, two police sources and one hospital source told Reuters.

Police said the unrest at the prison in Negombo, about 35km north of the capital, Colombo, began on Sunday and continued on Monday (local time).

Clashes broke out inside a prison on the outskirts of Sri Lanka's capital, killing at least 25 people and injuring more than 100, officials and a TV station reported Monday.

Violent clashes at Negombo prison, Sri Lanka, lead to 25 deaths and 100 injuries. Military on standby as police assess the situation amidst ongoing unrest.

More than two dozen people have died and over 100 injured following a violent dispute between different prison populations in Negombo.

Dozens of people gathered outside the prison and had to be held back by a police ​cordon

At least 25 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after a huge riot between inmates at a Sri Lankan prison. 

The wounded were rushed to the Negombo hospital, about 35km north of the capital Colombo, following overnight clashes between inmates from two drug gangs at the area's main prison, police said.

Twenty-five people have been killed and around 100 injured following clashes between prisoners in Sri Lanka, police and hospital sources have said.

Clashes in a Sri Lankan jail have killed at least 23 people, including four guards, and wounded more than 100 in the worst prison riot in more than five years, officials said on Monday. The wounded were rushed to the Negombo hospital, north of the capital Colombo, following overnight clashes between inmates from two drug gangs, police said. Hospital director Pushpa Gamlath said 23 bodies were brought to her state-run health facility, and more than 100 wounded inmates and guards were also...

Colombo, July 6: The death toll in the violent unrest at a prison in Sri Lanka’s western coastal town of Negombo has risen to 25, authorities said on Monday.The clash erupted on Sunday between two rival groups of inmates in the overcrowded prison. Violence flared again on Monday after rioting inmates reportedly seized firearms inside the facility.At least 19 people were killed and around 50 others injured after violent clashes erupted between rival inmate groups at a prison in Negombo, Sri Lanka.#violence #clash #prison #SriLanka pic.twitter.com/IXDdIFQvtN— International Crisis Room 360 (@ICR360) July 6, 2026 According to officials, 25 people have died and over 100 have been injured in the clashes and subsequent disturbances within the prison, Hiru News reported.Preliminary findings suggest the violence broke out between one group allegedly involved in drug trafficking activities inside the prison and another group opposing such operations.Mumbai On Red Alert; BMC Issues Urgent Safety Advisory For Construction Sites Amid 80-90 Kmph Wind WarningSecurity has been significantly tightened, with the Police Special Task Force (STF) and riot control units deployed to bring the situation under control.Following the clashes, three inmates were shifted to the Pallansena Prison Camp on Monday as part of efforts to restore order and prevent further violence.Prisons Department spokesperson AC Gajanayake said a special investigation has been launched into the incident, with a dedicated team appointed on the directions of the Commissioner General of Prisons to examine the cause and circumstances of the unrest.A separate police investigation is also underway. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has sought a detailed report on the clashes.A magisterial inquiry into the incident was conducted on Sunday.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

The wounded were rushed to the Negombo hospital, north of the capital Colombo, following overnight clashes between inmates from two drug gangs, police said.

Rival inmate groups clash at overcrowded Negombo prison as authorities launch multiple investigations

The wounded were rushed to the Negombo hospital, north of the capital Colombo, following overnight clashes between inmates from two drug gangs at the area's main prison, police said.

Preliminary findings have revealed that the violence is believed to have erupted between a group allegedly supporting drug trafficking activities within the prison and another group opposed to such activities

Tragic violence at Sri Lanka's Negombo prison has claimed 19 lives and injured 72, including security personnel. Clashes between rival inmate groups, reportedly over drug trafficking, escalated after prisoners seized firearms. Authorities have deployed special forces to restore order and launched multiple investigations into the deadly unrest. Security remains on high alert.