Sri Lankan authorities have tightened security at prisons after separate riots left three inmates dead and 23 injured, raising fresh concerns over severe overcrowding and growing tensions inside the country’s prison system.

One prisoner was killed on Thursday night at New Magazine Prison in Colombo after around 40 inmates broke out of their cells, while two others died during a riot at Kuruwita Prison on Friday, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told parliament.

According to Al Jazeera, police and special forces brought the disturbances under control, while riot police were deployed at three facilities. Officers also used tear gas to disperse protesting inmates at an open prison in Negombo.

Authorities said inmates linked to narcotics networks and rival criminal groups may have been behind the unrest and are investigating whether the incidents were coordinated.

The riots come amid a severe overcrowding crisis. Sri Lanka’s prisons hold more than 39,000 inmates despite having capacity for about 10,000, according to figures cited in parliament.

Rights groups say a large proportion of the prison population consists of suspects awaiting trial, particularly in drug-related cases, adding pressure to an already strained judicial and prison system.

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