video transcript

Security is tight in Colombo after a deadly prison riot overwhelmed guards on Friday. The violence erupted during a search for drugs and illicit phones at Sri Lanka's biggest prison. Things got out of hand quickly, with prisoners looting the facility's armory. This witness says he and others watched hundreds of inmates and police officers clash fiercely and that live shots were fired. At least 27 people were killed and a senior police officer seriously wounded in ensuing gunfights. On Saturday, authorities said they would spend much of the day searching for escapees and recovering bodies. Inmates at the jail include members of a Tamil rebel group, who fought a bloody war for independence before being defeated by government forces.