Six Swedes and a US citizen were briefly held hostage over the weekend during a riot at the main prison in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince which left three prisoners dead, Swedish officials said Monday, DPA reported.
The group including three Swedish police officers serving with the stabilization mission set up the United Nations known as MINUSTAH, and a member of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service were visiting the prison when the riot broke out on Sunday.
An inmate faked illness, and while being transported to the prison clinic managed to seize a prison guard's gun, reports said.
The visiting police officers were then surrounded by other inmates, who tried to escape using the hostages as human shields.
After a 45-minute standoff, Haitian police and UN forces forced their way into the prison.
During the turmoil, the Swedish nationals and American were able to flee, Leo Lindqvist of the Swedish National Police Board's foreign section told Swedish radio news
One of the Swedish nationals was hit by buckshot but did not receive serious injuries, Lindqvist added.
At least three inmates were reported to have been killed during the riot.
Sweden was one of the countries that contributed police officers and prison wardens to MINUSTAH set up after the massive earthquake that hit Haiti in January causing widespread destruction.