Eight die in Sri Lankan prison riot sparked by surging coronavirus outbreak

Relatives of the inmates of Mahara prison plead with security officials amid widespread rioting

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Sri Lankan special forces surrounded a prison in Colombo on Monday as eight prisoners died and the facility was set alight in rioting over an outbreak of coronavirus. 

Gunfire rang-out in the maximum security prison, built by Britain in 1875, as authorities struggled to restore order. 

Several inmates attempted to escape Mahara prison on Sunday amid fears of the spread of the disease, with guards shooting and killing one prisoner and wounding several more. In total, fifty-five inmates have been injured in the struggles. 

“The fire was opened by the prison officials after much agitation by the prisoners who tried to break through the gates, killing one prisoner. It became necessary to use force. Currently we can confirm that seven more prisoners have died in the melee that continued until 5am today,” said police spokesman Ajith Rohana.

Mr Rohana told the Telegraph that riots were under control but the local prisons department said the unrest was ongoing as of Monday morning. 

Two prison officers were taken hostage, sources told the Telegraph, after inmates were enraged by the killing of the prisoner. They were rescued earlier on Monday by a special forces task force. 

“While the injured prison officials are undergoing treatment, one of the rescued prison officials remains in critical condition,” said the prison Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya.

The prisoners set fire to the health office, a storage area, and several other places within the prison. Local media footage showed the raging fires enveloping the prison.  The police spokesman said that “almost the entire prison premises has been destroyed.”

As six fire brigades fought the flames through the night, the Commissioner General of Prisons said early Monday morning that the fire had been “completely brought under control”.

According to the police, a total of 200 elite Special Task Force commandos and 400 police officials have been deployed around the prison premises. STF personnel were also deployed in three of the main prisons in Colombo in August.

The riot in Mahara prison follows several others in prisons across the country since the first case of coronavirus was detected in a Chinese tourist on January 27.

Inmates in over-crowded prisons around the country have been demanding early release, proper testing and less congested facilities since the outbreak of the virus. Two inmates have died in prison while more than 1,000 prisoners have been infected in the past 10 months.

While Sri Lanka initially successfully curbed the spread of the virus with curfews and strict lockdown measures, the country suffered a second outbreak in October, increasing the total outbreak to 23,484 cases and 116 deaths.