Gunmen kill seven in Sri Lanka

Attackers opened fire on a prison bus outside Colombo on Monday, killing five prisoners and two armed guards in the worst gang-related violence to hit Sri Lanka in decades.

Gunmen sprayed bullets at the bus as it drove through a wooded area, police said, adding that four guards escaped with gunshot injuries.

The prisoners were being driven to court for a hearing when the audacious daytime attack took place, police said. It is believed that the shooting was a result of enmity between two underworld gangs, police said in a statement.

Investigations are under way. Security for underworld suspects had been tightened following a similar shooting on a prison bus that seriously wounded another suspected gang leader in the capital in March last year.

-AFP, Colombo