Security is tight in Colombo after a deadly prison riot overwhelmed guards on Friday.<br/> <br />The violence erupted during a search for drugs and illicit phones at Sri Lanka's biggest prison.<br/> <br />Things got out of hand quickly, with prisoners looting the facility's armory.<br/> <br />This witness says he and others watched hundreds of inmates and police officers clash fiercely and that live shots were fired.<br/> <br />At least 27 people were killed and a senior police officer seriously wounded in ensuing gunfights.<br/> <br />On Saturday, authorities said they would spend much of the day searching for escapees and recovering bodies.<br/> <br />Inmates at the jail include members of a Tamil rebel group, who fought a bloody war for independence before being defeated by government forces.
