Security personnel on July 6, 2026, stand guard in the compound of a prison in Negombo, 35 km north of the capital Colombo, where deadly clashes broke out on July 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
At least 26 persons, including seven prison officers, were killed in a Sri Lankan prison on Monday (July 6, 2026) after a clash among inmates escalated into deadly violence. Over 100 persons were injured.
Tensions began on Sunday (July 5, 2026) as groups of inmates reportedly attacked each other, killing two persons, and prompting authorities to deploy military personnel around the premises of the prison in Negombo, around 30 km from the capital Colombo. The clashes escalated on Monday (July 6, 2026) even as some inmates gathered on the rooftop to protest, demanding their immediate release.
Prison spokesman Chaminda Gajanayake told reporters that some prisoners rushed towards the main gate and attempted a breakout, but authorities managed to hold them back. Residents of the area told local media that gunshots could be heard outside, suggesting that prisoners had likely seized firearms from prison guards earlier.
Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has expressed “profound shock and grief” at the loss of human lives. “Whether they were inmates or associated with the underworld is not relevant to us at this moment,” Mr. Nanayakkara told reporters, adding that he took responsibility for the shocking incident. Authorities are working to separate rival gangs in the prison that are suspected of having triggered Monday’s (July 6, 2026) deadly violence, officials said.
Meanwhile, authorities have decided to transfer some inmates from Negombo prison to other facilities, officials said.
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Monday’s (July 6, 2026) prison riots come six years after a deadly riot at the Mahara prison, north of Colombo, during the height of the pandemic in 2020, in which as many as 11 inmates were killed. The incident put the spotlight on dire conditions in Sri Lanka’s prisons at the time. Rights defenders said the prisons were accommodating their intended capacity thrice, resulting in severe overcrowding and a lack of facilities during the pandemic. Sri Lanka witnessed another deadly riot in Colombo’s Welikada prison in 2012, when police shot dead 27 inmates.
Published – July 06, 2026 02:11 pm IST
