ADDS STATEMENT BY RUSSIA'S INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE & FURTHER REMARKS BY FEDERAL PENITENTIARY SERVICE; MINOR EDITS
By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - At least one person was killed after several prisoners seized employees of a penal colony in Russia’s Volgograd region, state media reported on Friday.
“At a meeting of the disciplinary commission of the colony, several prisoners seized employees,” the press service of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) told state news agency TASS.
The FSIN said an operation is being carried out to free the hostages, indicating that at least three prisoners have attacked its employees based on preliminary data.
Separately, a source from the operational services also told TASS that the prisoners killed an FSIN employee.
Volgograd Governor Andrey Bocharov said in a statement released by the region's administration on Telegram that four FSIN employees were hospitalized and that an operational headquarters has been created to coordinate work on freeing the hostages.
The press service of Russia's Investigative Committee also told TASS that investigators have opened a criminal case into the incident.
Russian President Vladimir Putin later held a briefing session with permanent members of the Security Council, during which the situation at the penal colony was discussed, according to the Kremlin.
No information has yet been provided on the exact number of prisoners involved in the hostage-taking or how many prisoners were taken.
The penal colony is in the town of Surovikino, about 122 kilometers (79 miles) west of the city of Volgograd.