(CNN) Several Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) members escaped from a Syrian prison on Sunday by ripping off doors and using them to break down a wall during a "detention facility uprising," authorities said.

The Ghweran prison, located in the northeastern city of Hasakah, is run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key US partner in the fight against ISIS.

ISIS prisoners took over the first floor floor of the prison, tore down some of the internal walls, and destroyed the doors, Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF press office, said in a tweet Sunday.

"Some of them managed to escape and the search for them is ongoing," he added.

Inside, prisoners staged a riot that authorities struggled to control. "The situation is tense inside the prison currently " Bali said. "The anti-terrorist forces are dealing with the situation to restore control of the ground floor in the prison and restore calm to the prison in general."

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