Sri Lanka prison bus shooting kills seven

At least seven people were killed when gunmen in Sri Lanka opened fire on a prison bus outside Colombo.

Police said five inmates and two guards died in the attack near the town of Kalutara. Nine others are in hospital.

The bus was transporting a prominent underworld suspect and other prisoners to court.

Officials have reported that the shooting resulted from a feud between two gangs. The gunmen escaped after spraying the bus with bullets.

There have been a number of shootings targeting prison buses. Another suspected gang leader was injured in a prison bus shooting in the capital last March.

Police set up roadblocks after six people were killed in two separate incidents on that day.