8 killed, nearly 50 hurt in Sri Lankan prison riots

ANKARA (AA) - At least eight prisoners were killed and nearly 50 others wounded in riots that erupted in Sri Lanka’s largest prison in a western province on Monday, local media reported.

An unrest situation turned into riots in Mahara prison in western province, according to daily Mirror Online.

The inmates also injured and took hostage two prison officers who were later released.

The daily quoted a local police spokesman as saying that prison officials had to use force to control the situation as police and special task force teams also arrived on the spot.

Sudarshini Fernandopulle, the country's state minister for prison reforms and prisoners' rehabilitation, informed the Parliament that an independent investigation would be carried out into the prison riot to identify the invisible hand in orchestrating mayhem.

“There is an invisible hand which activted suddenly and we are ready to conduct an independent probe to uncover who is behind the riot. This is also a part of a trend of unrest that has been reported from prisons recently," she was citing by the newspaper as saying.