A riot at Negombo Prison in Sri Lanka has killed 26 people, including seven prison officers and at least nine inmates, and left more than 100 others wounded in one of the country's deadliest prison clashes in years.
Violence erupted on Sunday between rival groups of inmates linked to drug trafficking, and escalated on Monday morning during breakfast distribution. Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara confirmed the death toll at 26, and 23 officers and 54 inmates remain hospitalised. Inmates allegedly seized guards' firearms, and a portion of the roof of an adjacent women's prison collapsed, injuring some female detainees. The military was placed on standby, and a three-member inquiry panel led by a retired supreme court justice has been appointed alongside a police investigation.
Sri Lanka's prisons held approximately 41,250 inmates — roughly four times their capacity — as of Sunday. A British woman has been detained at Negombo since May 2025 on drug charges.