COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Clashes broke out inside a prison in the outskirts of Sri Lanka’s capital, killing at least 25 people and injuring more than 100, officials and a TV station reported Monday.
Police said the unrest at the prison in Negombo, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, began on Sunday and continued on Monday. Spokesman Chandana Herath said there were fatalities but could not immediately confirm the toll reported by local television station Hiru.
Victims include both inmates and prison officials, the TV reported.
Prison spokesman A.C. Gajanayake said the violence started among inmates and when prison guards attempted to intervene on Monday, “they (inmates) started attacking the prison officials.”
He told reporters that some inmates attempted to escape but were stopped.
The clashes left several officials and inmates dead while several were hospitalized, Gajanayake said, without giving the exact numbers.
An official at the area's main state-run hospital said more than 100 people were admitted with injuries from the prison clash. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He did not specify the injuries.
Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested, with more than 39,000 inmates crowded into a system with a total capacity of just 10,000.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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