Riot breaks out inside Tajikistan prison, at least 27 dead: Security sources

The prison is home to prisoners serving long sentences for serious crimes including extremism and murder.

At least 25 inmates and two security officers have been killed in a riot at a high-security prison in the northern Tajik city of Khujand, security sources said on Thursday.

The prison in Tajik city if Khujand has seen prison breaks in the past. (REUTERS/Representative image)

Local authorities confirmed there had been a riot on Wednesday at the prison known for housing people convicted on extremism charges, but provided no other information.

The ex-Soviet country’s government has yet to confirm the prison riot or the deaths.

The prison in Khujand, located some 300 kilometres (186 miles) to the north of the capital Dushanbe, has seen prison breaks in the past.

In 2016, a guard and a prisoner were killed after three inmates initiated a jailbreak.

At the time the interior ministry said the prisoners had “planned to join the ranks of ISIS.”