The death toll from a prison riot in Sri Lanka’s capital increased to 27 with 43 injured, officials said on Saturday.
Eleven bodies of prisoners were recovered Saturday inside the Welikada prison where inmates had attacked police on Friday, officials said.
Dr Anil Jaasinghe, director of the Colombo National Hospital, also said that several wounded prisoners had succumbed to injuries under treatment. Six other inmates remain in critical condition.
Soldiers sent to control the riot had brought the situation under control by Saturday morning, he said.
Authorities were still searching for six escaped prisoners and some weapons that had been removed from the armoury.
Prisoners had overpowered the guards and took at least 10 automatic weapons from the armoury. At least 15 of the injured were police.
It was country’s worst prison riot since 1983, when 35 prisoners were killed during ethnic clashes inside Welikada.
