Three inmates killed, 23 injured in Sri Lanka prison unrest

Three inmates were killed and at least 23 others injured in a series of prison disturbances across Sri Lanka on Thursday and Friday, prompting a major security deployment to multiple facilities. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament on Friday that the unrest involved attempted breakouts and clashes at prisons in the capital, Colombo, and in the town of Kuruwita.

According to the minister, one inmate was killed and 10 others were wounded late Thursday during an attempted escape by about 40 convicts at Welikada Prison, a maximum-security facility in Colombo. On Friday morning, a separate incident at Kuruwita prison, approximately 80 kilometers southeast of the capital, resulted in two more inmate deaths and left 13 others injured. Police and special forces were deployed and brought both situations under control.

Unrest was also reported at a third facility, an open prison in Negombo, where inmates climbed onto a roof in protest. Authorities contained that incident after police fired tear gas. Minister Wijepala stated that he saw a pattern in the incidents and suspected a conspiracy, though he provided no further details, saying a comprehensive investigation was...