ISTANBUL

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.

Separately, a source from the operational services also told TASS the prisoners killed an FSIN employee, and there were an unspecified number of injured.

The penal colony is in the town of Surovikino, about 122 kilometers (79 miles) west of the city of Volgograd.