Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara says preliminary information indicates that the deadly violence at Negombo Prison began as a clash between two rival organised crime groups allegedly linked to drug trafficking inside the prison.
Addressing the media on Monday, the Minister said the initial confrontation took place on Sunday night, injuring several inmates and prison officers who intervened to separate the rival groups.
Although the situation was temporarily brought under control overnight, the violence flared up again on Monday morning as inmates were being prepared to attend court, he said.
Nanayakkara said prison officers initially attempted to contain the unrest using non-lethal methods, but were attacked and injured while trying to separate the inmates.
He said authorities are now investigating how firearms came to be used during the violence, how weapons became accessible, whether there were failures by officials, and the circumstances that led to the escalation.
The Minister stressed that the immediate priority is to establish the facts rather than assign blame, adding that the government is committed to ensuring such an incident does not happen again.
He also said senior prison officials remain at the prison while inmates involved in the clashes are being transferred to other prisons to prevent further violence and restore order. (Newswire)