Related News
Death toll in Sri Lankan prison riot rises to 27
Source: Xinhua |
November 10, 2012, Saturday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
THE death toll from the prison riot rose to 27 today after prisoners and the military exchanged gun-fire overnight hours after the unrest erupted, the police and prison officials said.
A spokesperson at the Colombo National Hospital said that 16 bodies were at the hospital overnight while the minister in charge of Sri Lanka's prisons said that 11 bodies were still inside the prison premises.
The riot broke out at the Welikada prison, Sri Lanka's prison headquarters, when prison guards backed by police commandos attempted to search a section of the prison for drugs and mobile phones smuggled into the premises, Prisons Commissioner P.W. Kodippili told Xinhua.
He said that some of the prisoners had then broken down the doors of the section of the prison and made their way to the roof with weapons stolen from the prison armory.
"Underworld members in the prison were mostly involved in the riot and instigated the attack on the police using the stolen weapons," Kodippili said.
Minister of Rehabilitation and Prisons Reforms Chandrasiri Gajadeera told parliament today that most of the weapons stolen from the prison had been recovered. He said in all 82 guns had been stolen by the prisoners during the riot.
Local media showed images of a three-wheel vehicle attempting to flee with prisoners from the prison during the riot resulting in a barrage of gunfire from the army.
The prisoners were killed in the gunfight and Kodippili said that a few others who had managed to escape were arrested.
The army was deployed overnight to bring the situation under control as the prisoners continued to riot.
By this morning the situation was brought under control and a busy road adjoining the prison was also reopened for traffic.
Gajadeera said that a special investigation was launched into the incident.
A spokesperson at the Colombo National Hospital said that 16 bodies were at the hospital overnight while the minister in charge of Sri Lanka's prisons said that 11 bodies were still inside the prison premises.
The riot broke out at the Welikada prison, Sri Lanka's prison headquarters, when prison guards backed by police commandos attempted to search a section of the prison for drugs and mobile phones smuggled into the premises, Prisons Commissioner P.W. Kodippili told Xinhua.
He said that some of the prisoners had then broken down the doors of the section of the prison and made their way to the roof with weapons stolen from the prison armory.
"Underworld members in the prison were mostly involved in the riot and instigated the attack on the police using the stolen weapons," Kodippili said.
Minister of Rehabilitation and Prisons Reforms Chandrasiri Gajadeera told parliament today that most of the weapons stolen from the prison had been recovered. He said in all 82 guns had been stolen by the prisoners during the riot.
Local media showed images of a three-wheel vehicle attempting to flee with prisoners from the prison during the riot resulting in a barrage of gunfire from the army.
The prisoners were killed in the gunfight and Kodippili said that a few others who had managed to escape were arrested.
The army was deployed overnight to bring the situation under control as the prisoners continued to riot.
By this morning the situation was brought under control and a busy road adjoining the prison was also reopened for traffic.
Gajadeera said that a special investigation was launched into the incident.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
