# Sri Lanka deploys troops after 3 inmates killed in prison unrest 2026-08-07T08:40:36+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Sri Lanka deployed troops to three prisons on Friday after three inmates were killed and 23 wounded in escape attempts, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told parliament. One inmate died and 10 were wounded when guards stopped about 40 convicts trying to flee Colombo's Welikada Prison on Thursday night. Two more inmates were killed and 13 wounded at a prison in Kuruwita, 80 km southeast of Colombo. Another 30 inmates climbed onto a roof at Pallansena prison north of Colombo. The unrest follows earlier riots at two other prisons that killed 10 guards and 23 inmates. Officials blame acute overcrowding, Sri Lanka's prisons hold four times their capacity. Over three-quarters of inmates are remand prisoners awaiting trial, mostly for drug offences. Wijepala told parliament he suspects a pattern and a possible conspiracy. ## Coverage - newindianexpress.com - deccanherald.com Tags: overcrowding, prisons, security, Sri Lanka, unrest Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sri-lanka-deploys-troops-after-prison-unrest-kills-three-inmates/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sri-lanka-deploys-troops-after-prison-unrest-kills-three-inmates/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.