8th officer also died yesterday - Minister also cried (photos)

Prison guard W. Upali, who was seriously injured in the recent severe acts of violence that erupted inside the Negombo Prison, passed away yesterday morning.

With the death of this officer, who was receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital due to severe head injuries, the total number of prison officers who died in the incident has risen to eight. According to prison sources, 28 individuals have died so far due to these severe clashes, and 14 other injured prison officers are still hospitalized and receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, the final respects for the bodies of the other seven prison officers who died in the Negombo prison clash were paid yesterday (8) morning at the training center of the Colombo Remand Prison. The bodies of these seven officers, who were killed while serving attached to the Emergency Tactical Force of the Prisons Department, were brought to the Colombo Prison complex in Borella in a special motorcade. Those killed were Jailer Chandrawansa, and prison guards S. D. S. Abeywansa, A. D. Tharanga, T. M. R. Thilakasiri, B. N. N. Tharanga, D. W. Pushpakumara, and R. P. R. Sanjeewa.

For this sorrowful occasion, the prison premises and the roads in front of it were adorned with white flags, and a large number of personnel from the Prisons Department gathered to pay their final respects to their fallen colleagues. As the motorcade carrying the lifeless bodies of the deceased officers entered the prison complex, the officers and female officers present, unable to bear the tragic fate of their colleagues, broke down in tears. Justice Minister Attorney-at-Law Harshana Nanayakkara also participated in this event, where prison officers shared their thoughts with the Minister with great emotion. The Minister, who paid his final respects to the officers' bodies, was also seen to be deeply moved on the occasion.

High-ranking officials of the Prisons Department, along with other staff, paid their final respects to the bodies placed at the training center. Amidst the sorrowful emotions of the prison officers, who were deeply shocked by the untimely departure of their comrades, the bodies were kept there for nearly four hours. Subsequently, prison authorities handed over the bodies to the relatives of the deceased officers, who had arrived at the location, for the final rites to be conducted at their homes.