Nov 14, Colombo: The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka will commence an investigation into last week's riot at the high security Welikada Prison in Colombo.

The Commission after a thorough investigation will prepare a report on the incident that killed 27 inmates and injured over 43 others in a fire fight between the inmates and security officers.

Secretary of the Commission, Attorney-at-Law Nimal Punchihewa said the Commission had already pointed out several discrepancies in the country's prison system.

However, he noted that the riot was most likely caused due to the delay in addressing these short comings.

According to the Secretary the Commission had previously informed the relevant authorities about the issues faced by inmates and the need to address them.

Last week's prison riot could have been avoided if the authorities had addressed the key issues faced by the inmates, the official said.

The Commission will also make proposals on avoiding such incidents in future.