Inmates at a penal colony in southern Russia’s Volgograd region have taken several prison guards hostage, prison authorities said Friday, with at least one person reported killed.
A spokesperson for Russia’s prison service told the RIA Novosti news agency that the inmate uprising took place at the IK-19 Surovikino penal colony, located around 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) west of the region’s capital city Volgograd.
An unverified video shared by news channels on the Telegram message app purported to show inmates at the prison standing above bloodied guards. Other videos on social media seem to suggest the inmates were affiliated with the Islamic State militant group.
“Several inmates seized staff at a meeting of the colony’s disciplinary committee,” the TASS news agency quoted the prison service as saying without specifying the number of hostages or hostage-takers.
Emergency services told the news agency that three prisoners were involved in the hostage-taking and at least one prison employee was killed.