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7 dead as gunmen shoot at Sri Lanka prison bus

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – 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 kilometres (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.

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