A number of people are understood to have been injured during a riot at a penitentiary facility in Volgograd Region
Inmates at a Russian prison have taken several hostages, the national prison service told RT.
The incident occurred during a visit by a disciplinary commission to the facility in Volgograd Region, in the south of Russia, the report said. It is understood that a number of people have been injured.
A prison service employee has been killed in the incident, sources told TASS. Officials say they believe that at least three inmates were involved in the incident, and that an operation to rescue the hostages is being prepared.
The prison is located near the town of Surovikino, some 850km south of Moscow. It accommodates male convicts and has a capacity of over 1,200.
Unverified media reports claim that one of the hostage-takers had been convicted of terrorism offenses, and that he and his group had declared allegiance to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).
There may be as many as three fatalities, according to the reports, which cited footage purportedly recorded inside the prison. This appears to show a man in prison clothes armed with a knife, and motionless bodies in guard uniforms lying on a blood-covered floor.
Prison warden is understood to be receiving treatment in an intensive care unit after being seriously injured during the altercation.
The perpetrators have reportedly demanded a ransom of $2 million in cash and a helicopter to escape the facility in exchange for the remaining hostages’ lives.
READ MORE: ‘ISIS terrorist’ inmates take hostages in Russian prison
Last month, a hostage crisis involving self-proclaimed IS supporters unfolded at a prison in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. The perpetrators were killed by special forces during a rescue operation.
August 23, 2024 at 04:03PM
RT