At least 25 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in two days of violence at Negombo prison on Sri Lanka’s western coast, according to local authorities. The dead include at least four prison guards, with medical sources reporting that some victims sustained gunshot injuries, while others had cuts and severe bruises. The unrest began on the evening of Sunday, 5 July, and escalated the following morning, making it the deadliest prison riot in the country in more than five years.

Fighting erupted between two groups of inmates, with police and prison officials describing them as rival factions. Preliminary accounts from Sri Lankan news outlets, citing investigators, suggest the violence was linked to a dispute over drug trafficking operations inside the facility, though no official cause has been confirmed. During the chaos, female inmates in an adjoining section climbed onto a roof to demand their release; part of the structure collapsed, injuring several women. Prison spokesman Chamika Gajanayake said some inmates attempted to rush the main gate on Monday morning and were repelled by guards.

Negombo prison, which houses nearly 10,000 inmates, is severely overcrowded—official data shows Sri Lanka’s prisons hold about 41,250 people, roughly four times their capacity. The justice minister, Harshana Nanayakkara, expressed “profound shock” and ordered an investigation. A three-member panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge has been appointed to examine the incident, while a separate police inquiry is under way. Authorities have begun transferring inmates to other facilities to ease tensions, and police special task force units remain deployed outside the prison, with the military on standby.

Casualty figures varied in the hours after the riot, with some hospital and police sources initially reporting 19 or 23 dead before the toll was revised upward. By Monday evening, the confirmed number stood at 25, though some local media cited 26 fatalities, including seven guards. The prison department said 23 officers and 54 inmates were still receiving treatment. The situation inside the prison was described as under control by late Monday, but clearing operations continued and the death toll was considered provisional.