US prison guard dies, others hurt in 'disturbance'

NATCHEZ, Mississippi - The Associated Press

Smoke rises above the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, Miss., Sunday, May 20, 201, during an inmate disturbance at the prison. AP Photo

A prison guard has died and several other employees have been injured during what is being called an "an inmate disturbance" at a southwest Mississippi prison.

Emily Ham, a spokeswoman for the Adams County Sheriff's Office, confirmed Sunday evening that the guard died while being transported to a hospital. She said Corrections Corp. of America, the prison's private operator, is working with law-enforcement authorities to bring the disturbance under control.

CCA said in a news release that the disturbance began at around 2:40 p.m. CDT. The news release said five employees were transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries and one was taken offsite. It said "the disturbance is contained within the secure perimeter of the facility, with no threat to public safety." The company said the cause of disturbance is pending investigation. The 2,567-bed prison houses federal inmates.