At least eight prisoners were killed and more than 50 injured in clashes with guards at a Sri Lankan prison, as authorities tried to control a protest over rising COVID-19 infections in the country’s crowded jails, officials said on Monday,
Pandemic-related unrest has been growing in Sri Lanka’s congested prisons across the country.
Inmates have staged protests in recent weeks demanding an increase in coronavirus testing and new isolation facilities for infected prisoners as thousands of fresh infections were reported.
The latest clash at Mahara prison situated on the outskirts of the capital Colombo started on Sunday when some inmates protested against prisoners infected by the Covid-19 virus being transferred from other facilities to Mahara.
A Sri Lankan senior police official tracking the incident said most of the deaths and injuries appear to be due to gunshots.
The John Hopkins University’s latest data on Sri Lanka says the country has had 22,988 coronavirus cases and 109 deaths.
