A violent fight between different groups of prisoners at Negombo Prison has led to 26 deaths and more than 100 injuries.

尼甘波監獄內不同囚犯群體之間的激烈衝突已導致 26 人死亡及 100 多人受傷。

The trouble began on Sunday evening and was caused by a conflict between two groups of inmates. Early reports suggest that the fight started because one group was allegedly involved in drug trafficking, while the other group opposed these activities. The violence increased on Monday, and seven prison officers were killed while trying to bring back order. Furthermore, reports indicate that prisoners may have taken weapons from staff during the chaos.

衝突始於週日晚上，是由兩組囚犯之間的矛盾引起。初步報告顯示，衝突起因於其中一組據稱涉及販毒，而另一組則反對此類活動。暴力在週一加劇，七名監獄職員在嘗試恢復秩序時被殺。此外，報告指出囚犯可能在混亂中搶奪了職員的武器。

Other incidents happened in the women's section, where some prisoners climbed onto a roof to demand their release; however, they were injured when the structure collapsed. Consequently, many casualties were taken to Negombo hospital, and 18 patients in critical condition were moved to the Colombo National hospital. Authorities also used drones and helicopters to monitor the crowds of relatives gathering outside the prison.

女性區域也發生了其他事件，部分囚犯爬上屋頂要求釋放；然而，由於結構崩塌導致他們受傷。隨後，許多傷者被送往尼甘波醫院，而 18 名情況危急的患者則被轉移至可倫坡國家醫院。當局還使用了無人機和直升機，以監視在監獄外聚集的親屬人群。

This event happened during a time of great pressure on the prison system. As of last Sunday, there were 41,250 prisoners nationwide, which is about four times the official capacity. This follows a similar riot in December 2020 that killed 11 people, which led the government to try and reduce overcrowding by releasing some prisoners.

此次事件發生在監獄系統承受巨大壓力的時期。截至上週日，全國共有 41,250 名囚犯，約為官方容量的四倍。此前在 2020 年 12 月曾發生一起類似暴動導致 11 人死亡，隨後政府試圖透過釋放部分囚犯來減輕過度擁擠的情況。

The Sri Lankan government has appointed a three-member commission, led by a retired supreme court justice, to investigate the incident.

斯里蘭卡政府已任命一個由退休最高法院法官領導的三人委員會，以調查此次事件。