Sri Lanka, July 7 -- In what appeared to be yet another deadly outbreak of rioting, 19 inmates and seven prison officers were killed, and around 100 were injured in the Negombo jail yesterday. Initially, riots broke out between two drug gangs on Sunday, and the confrontation rapidly spiralled into one of Sri Lanka's deadliest prison riots in recent history, resulting in heavy casualties and exposing serious security concerns.

According to Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, the prison officers had received gunshot injuries, raising concerns about whether the rioters accessed prison guns to carry out the carnage.

Official data showed that prisons across Sri Lanka held 41,250 inmates as at July 5, about four times their capacity.

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