A two-day Negombo prison revolt in Sri Lanka left 26 dead, including seven prison guards, and resulted in 77 hospitalized — 23 prison officials and 54 inmates — with officials saying the violence was due to narcotic drugs.

The riot that broke out in the prison was between two rival groups of prisoners, permanently convicted inmates and those temporarily imprisoned. It began on Sunday and started growing more violent on Monday. Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara told the Sri Lankan parliament that he believed the riot was linked to narcotic drugs and prison gang rivalries, according to the Associated Press (AP). He claimed that the riot began with those who had informed the guards about the other groups’ illegal drug involvement. (RELATED: Former Democrat Rising Star Arrested Again On Drug Charges)

Inmates and guards have been killed in fighting at a prison near Sri Lanka’s capital. Reports suggest at least 25 people have died and more than 100 others have been injured. pic.twitter.com/yXZ9Ssjfly

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 6, 2026

Somehow, inmates ended up in possession of firearms, which they fired at the guards. Nanayakkara said they would investigate how the inmates got hold of the weapons.

“We will investigate as to how they got the weapons — whether they got it from the armory or grabbed from the guards,” he said.

During the riot, inmates unsuccessfully attempted to break through the main gate; some also destroyed CCTV cameras and a body scanner, according to the New York Post.

Nanayakkara said a special committee headed by a retired judge would be created, as well as a police probe and internal investigation into the prison, in order to determine the cause of the riot.

The President of the Committee for Rights of Prisoners, Senaka Perera, pointed to the prison’s congestion as a potential cause of the riot, the AP reported. He said overflowing prisons and poor quality of life for the prisoners could easily cause them to riot.

Negombo prison has a capacity for 650 prisoners, but there were reportedly 2,600 when the riots broke out Sunday.