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Fact Check
280 inmates and prison officials were killed in the unrest at the Negombo Prison on July 5 and July 6.
The claim is false. According to official records, as of July 13, 29 inmates and prison officials died in the unrest at the Negombo Prison.
A video has been circulating on TikTok, showing a group of people outside the premises of the Negombo Prison after a clash between inmates and prison officers on July 5 and July 6. This incident is one of the largest prison-related unrest events recorded in recent history and has been in the news for over a week.
In this video, a group speaks to the camera about the ill-equipped prison system of Sri Lanka, and the overlaid text says in Sinhala, “In prison, 280 have died.”
2. Afterwards, as more inmates and prison officers were being treated at hospitals for their injuries, the number has now increased to 29 deaths. The Sunday Times states that “29 deaths of inmates and prison officers…more than 100 injured.” An investigative report from The Examiner states the same: “When a fight between inmates on Sunday spiralled into the second deadliest prison riot in Sri Lankan history, 29 died.”
3. Prisons department media spokesperson AC Gajanayake revealed on July 9 that the death toll was then at 29, via this update to NewsFirst Sri Lanka.
On July 5 Sunday, at the Negombo Prison in the Western province of Sri Lanka, a clash had broken out in the premises, when a prisoner, Suresh Pushpakumara aka Katuwellegama Suresh, shot and killed two fellow prisoners for revealing information to the prison officials about a secret drug operation he was due to execute as part of a larger network of organised crimes. By that evening, the incident was purportedly under control. However, on July 6, which was both a court day and visitation day, a riot broke out in the prison, where prisoners started attacking officers, with sharp objects, stones, furniture, and heavy materials, causing blunt force trauma to the officers and injuring each other in the process. While no direct reasoning has been revealed to the public about the July 6 riot, it is widely believed that it was ignited by the incident on July 5 and the overcrowded prison having 2400 inmates when it only has capacity for 650.
Social media posts claiming that 280 inmates and prison officials were killed in the unrest at the Negombo Prison on 5 and 6 July are false. According to official records, as of July 13, 29 inmates and prison officials died in the unrest at the Negombo Prison.
FAQs
Q1. What does the text in the video say?
The text in the video says in Sinhala that 280 people have died due to the unrest at the Negombo Prison premises after incidents of unrest on July 5 and 6.
Q2. What is the correct number of deaths?
29, as of July 13. This includes 8 prison officers and 21 inmates.
Q3. What is the reason for this unrest at the prison?
The exact reason has not yet been revealed.
Our Sources
‘No Negombo jailers killed; Welikada SWAT team beaten to death, prisoners shot’, published in The Examiner, July 10, 2026
‘”We Must Learn from Our Mistakes and Correct Them” – Harshana Nanayakkara’, published in the Daily Mirror YouTube channel, July 7, 2026
‘Negombo prison riots: Lessons not learnt from Mahara jail violence’, published in The Sunday Times, July 12, 2026
‘Negombo Prison Clash Death Toll Rises to 29’, published in NewsFirst Sri Lanka, July 9, 2026
False
