Negombo prison riot toll reaches 27 as Sri Lanka orders judicial probe

Colombo,UPDATED: Jul 7, 2026 14:40 IST

The death toll in the Negombo prison riots rose to 27 on Tuesday, even as authorities said the situation had been brought under control. The violence also led to the safe evacuation of around 700 prisoners, including a number of foreign inmates, and prompted the government to appoint a three-member probe headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.

The clashes, which began between two groups of inmates on Sunday, later escalated into an attempted jailbreak on Monday, according to prisons spokesman A C Gajanayake. Around 1,800 inmates were housed in the prison when the violence broke out, and more than 100 inmates and prison officials were taken to hospital.

Gajanayake said the inmates attacked jail officials while breakfast was being served on Monday. Seven prison officials and 19 inmates were killed in the gunfire that followed, while several others were injured. He said the death toll increased by one on Tuesday morning to 27. Health officials said some of those admitted to Negombo Hospital were later shifted to the Hospital in Colombo, and at least 10 underwent emergency surgeries.

Harshana Nanayakkara, the minister in charge of prisons, told Parliament that a full investigation would be carried out to identify any lapses that may have led to the violence. "We will carry out a full probe into the incident to identify any lapses that may have led to the situation," said Nanayakkara, a former judge.

Opposition legislator Ajith P Perera criticised the minister's handling of the crisis. "He didn't do anything to control the situation when it was getting bad yesterday. He was a failure," Perera told reporters. The opposition has also written to the Speaker seeking an urgent debate on the incident.

Officials said a known criminal, Katuwellegoda Suresh, was transferred on Tuesday to the high-security Boossa prison. They believe his links to the prison's internal narcotics distribution chain were the primary cause of the incident. Negombo Magistrate Shirani Perera visited the prison on Tuesday to conduct the magisterial inquiry, while the Human Rights Commission also inspected the facility.

With the death toll at 27, the Negombo prison violence has triggered multiple inquiries, political criticism and fresh scrutiny of conditions inside the jail, where around 1,800 inmates were present when the clashes began.

With PTI Inputs

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