DUSHANBE, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Three guards and 29 inmates have been killed in a riot in a high-security prison east of the Tajik capital Dushanbe, local media quoted the Justice Ministry as saying on Monday.

The ministry said earlier that prisoners convicted of Islamic State membership had taken three prison guards hostage and killed them.

The incident happened in the early hours of Monday in the prison currently holding around 1,500 people.