Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Seven people were killed Monday when gunmen shot at a bus transporting prisoners to a court in southwest Sri Lanka, news reports said.
Five inmates, including a suspected gang leader, and two prison guards were killed in the attack near the town of Kalutara, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of the capital, Colombo, privately owned Maharaja TV reported. Two other inmates were injured and hospitalized.
The gunmen escaped after the shooting.
The motive for the attack was not immediately known. Police and prison officials were unavailable for comment.
There have been several incidents in the past in Sri Lanka in which rival criminal gangs have targeted each other on court premises or inside prison vehicles.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.