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Riot breaks out at Sri Lanka prison when inmates try to escape: 8 killed, 37 injured

New delhi
November 30, 2020

At least eight inmates were killed and 37 others injured when a riot broke out at a prison on the outskirts of Colombo in Sri Lanka. The riots broke out on Sunday at the Mahara prison located about 15 kilometers north of Colombo when some inmates tried to escape. The prisoners at the Mahara prison tried to force open a door and escape. This prompted the authorities to use force, police said on Monday, according to the news reported.

The inmates created "unrest" as they tried to escape and this forced the prison officials to take steps to control the situation. "The incident was started by a set of remand prisoners when they tried to force open a door and escape following which the authorities had to use force," Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said. Prisons authorities said the rioters had set fire to the kitchen and a record room of the prison.

Rohana said that at least 37 more inmates, including two jailors were injured and all of them were transferred to the nearby Ragama hospital. The rioting inmates tried to take jailors "hostage" but the authorities at the prison thwarted such attempt, officials said.

The incident comes as pandemic related unrest has been growing in Sri Lanka's overcrowded prisons. Inmates have staged protests in recent weeks in several prisons as the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases spiked in the country's overcrowded jails.

Rohana said the detainees wanted them to be transferred elsewhere as the Mahara prison has detected over 175 COVID-19 infections among the inmates.
Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested with more than 26,000 inmates crowded in facilities with the capacity of 10,000.

Sri Lanka, which has been taking tough measures to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, has reported 22,988 cases and 109 deaths due to the contagious virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.