Colombo launched an investigation 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 after 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 government-appointed commission.
Police said the death toll was at least 27 people, including another inmate who died overnight.
They also said a preliminary investigation has found that rival gangs clashed inside the prison in the capital’s north before overpowering guards, seizing their weapons and opening fire.
Nanayakkara said inmates had also smashed a CCTV camera in the chaos.
Doctors said 97 victims, including 23 prison officers, are still in Negombo hospital with gunshot wounds, cuts and severe bruises.
Another 19 inmates were being treated at a hospital in Colombo.
Seven guards were killed when they tried to break up the rioting on Monday, a police official said
Nanayakkara, who visited victims in hospital, was shocked by the scale of the violence.
“Human beings have died, and there is deep shock over that. This is something that should never have occurred,” he said.
An AFP photographer outside the prison saw prison buses transferring some inmates out of the facility as police kept the area cordoned off. Officials confirmed they were being relocated to other prisons. — AFP
