KEMEROVO, August 21. /TASS/. Inmates blocked two staff members of a detention facility in a cell in Kemerovo and negotiations are underway to release the hostages, the press service of the regional Federal Penitentiary Service told TASS.

"At pre-trial detention facility No. 1 of the Main Directorate of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service for the Kemerovo Region-Kuzbass during security procedures, the accused held in one of the cells blocked two employees of the facility. Currently, the talks have been launched and the situation at the facility is under control," the press service said.

It also noted that the leadership of the regional Federal Penitentiary Service is on the way to the facility.

Earlier, the emergency services told TASS that three employees of the facility had been taken hostage. According to updated information, one of them managed to leave the cell with two employees, a man and a woman, remaining there.

Pre-trial detention facility No. 1 is the only facility of this kind in Kemerovo. According to official data, it can hold more than 700 inmates.