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Sri Lanka jail riot 'injures 28' in Colombo Sri Lanka jail riot 'injures 31' in Colombo
(about 3 hours later)
At least 28 people have been injured in clashes between guards and rioting inmates at a prison in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, police say. At least 31 people have been injured in clashes between guards and rioting inmates at a prison in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, police say.
Guards opened fire - most of the injured are inmates with bullet wounds. Unconfirmed reports say three are dead. Most of the injured are prisoners who were shot by guards. Police deny claims that three inmates were killed.
Prisoners are reported to have set fire to a kitchen and an administrative building at Welikada (Magazine) jail. Several buildings were set alight in the remand wing of Colombo's main prison before order was restored.
Reports say they want better food and conditions. Police say inmates are angry at moves to curb drug smuggling. Prisoners say they want better food and conditions. Police said inmates were angry at moves to curb drug smuggling.
A local resident told the Associated Press there had been disturbances at the prison for several days. The head of Sri Lanka's prisons department admitted that the treatment of prisoners in the jail fell short of acceptable standards.
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said 24 prisoners and four guards had been hurt in Tuesday's violence. A local resident told the Associated Press news agency that disturbances had been going on for several days.
AP quoted a doctor at Colombo National Hospital saying most of the prisoners had gunshot wounds. Three guards had been hit by stones and another had a fractured leg. Wounds 'not serious'
None of the injuries was life threatening, Dr Prasad Ariyawansa said. Throughout Tuesday smoke billowed from the Welikada (Magazine) prison as dozens of inmates demonstrated on the rooftops. Some held up a banner calling for the head of the prison to be removed.
But one of the inmates told the BBC Sinhala service that three prisoners were in fact dead, contradicting what police told journalists outside. It was impossible to confirm the report. The BBC's Charles Haviland says the air outside the jail was acrid with tear gas and smoke - inside the barrier gate the prison is teeming with police and armed military.
Pictures from the scene showed soldiers deployed outside the jail as black smoke billowed into the air from inside the complex. Ambulances have been taking the wounded to Colombo's National Hospital. A senior staff member there told the BBC that 26 inmates and five officers were being treated, although the injuries were not serious.
A number of prisoners have been demonstrating on rooftops with a banner calling for the prison chief to be removed. The prisoners had gunshot wounds, mostly below the knee. The officers had head or leg injuries after being assaulted.
Welikada is a maximum security jail described as Sri Lanka's largest. Earlier, one of the inmates told the BBC Sinhala service that three prisoners had been killed when officers at the gates shot at a large group in the compound.
The deaths are unconfirmed and exactly what happened is unclear.
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said gunfire and tear gas had been used after prisoners rioted over new regulations.
"The new prison administration have launched a massive programme in order to curtail the drugs inside the prison and apart from that to prevent drugs going inside the prison," he said.
"I think this is the reason for this protest."
But the prisoners said the new rules in fact banned food from outside.
Later the head of the prisons department told BBC Sinhala that the treatment of the prisoners was less than ideal and that this would be corrected.
Prisons Commissioner PW Kodippili said food had been sent in but there was no immediate confirmation of this from the prisoners.
He also said that 180 remand prisoners suspected of links with the Tamil Tigers had now been transferred to another jail.