A 45-year-old inmate at Angunakolapelassa Prison has died following hospitalisation for a sudden illness, the Department of Prisons said on Friday, as a viral fever outbreak spread through one of the prison’s wards.
A department spokesperson said the inmate was admitted to Angunakolapelassa Regional Hospital on Thursday on the advice of the prison medical officer and died the same day. The cause of death has not yet been determined.
The Prison Media Spokesperson told Ada Derana that a viral fever had been spreading among inmates in one of the wards at the facility. Eight inmates who contracted the fever were initially admitted to the Angunakolapelassa Regional Hospital for treatment and subsequently transferred to the Hambantota District General Hospital for inpatient care.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the death is linked to the outbreak. Health officials have launched an investigation into the incident.
Angunakolapelassa Prison is a high-security facility in the Hambantota district that has previously been at the centre of scrutiny over inmate welfare. The latest death follows the May 11 death of convict Amarakeerthi Athukorala at Welikada Prison and an earlier HRCSL rights-violation inquiry into Sri Lanka’s prison system.
Source: Ada Derana — Angunakolapelassa Prison inmate dies from illness amid fever outbreak.
