Officers of the Mahara Prison had used force in order to bring under control an unrest which had arisen at the Mahara Prison last evening, said Police Media Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana.
He said according to reports, six prisoner had died and 35 other inmates had been injured in the incident.
The unrest turned into a riot and in result of the situation two prison officers were also injured, he further said.
In addition, more police teams have been deployed to bring the situation under control.
Teams of Special Task Force personnel had also been deployed to bring the situation under control.
These teams have been deployed in order to provide security to the outer perimeter of the Mahara Prison.