Three guards and 88 inmates were inside the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Windsor when the takeover began at about 5 a.m., prompting an immediate response from local, state and federal authorities, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement posted on social media.
By early afternoon, the SBI and the FBI had "cleared the facility," the state bureau said in a statement.
"All inmates and staff are safe and accounted for, and those who sustained injuries have received treatment," the SBI said.
The facility will remain secured while the damage is assessed, and inmates have been transferred to other facilities, the SBI said. Windsor is about 120 miles east of Raleigh.
Inmates took two guards captive, but the third guard escaped. Negotiations led to the release of the two guards along with 80 inmates, leaving only eight inmates inside, Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin said at a news conference.
Ruffin said the two guards who were released are undergoing medical treatment, but he had no details about their injuries.
There was no threat to the general public, Ruffin said in a statement.
Authorities have not addressed why there were only three guards overseeing the jail at the time of the takeover.
Ruffin did not indicate what caused the takeover.
"Right now we have a lot going on that we're trying to get under control," he said. "I will release that information to the public as soon as I can."
Nearly 20 agencies responded to assist with the effort.
- The Associated Press contributed.