A nurse and a prison guard were killed by an inmate at a state penitentiary in Iowa this week.

The Iowa Department of Corrections said the attack occurred Tuesday morning at the Anamosa State Penitentiary in the facility's infirmary. During the attack, a correctional officer and a nurse were injured during the confrontation and additional security forces attempted "life-saving first aid on the injured until paramedics arrived,” the department said, according to NBC News.

Both the nurse and the corrections officer, who have not yet been identified, later died of the injuries they sustained during the attack. The inmate was also not identified.

“Today, our state grieves the loss of two public servants who were attacked while on duty at the Anamosa State Penitentiary,” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said as she ordered flags around the state at half staff. “My prayers and deepest condolences are with their families, friends, and colleagues as they begin to cope with this senseless tragedy.”

The president of the Iowa correctional facility employees union expressed sorrow after the killings.

“No one should ever have to go to work and worry about whether they will come home or not," union President Danny Homan told NBC News. "Unfortunately for two Iowans who had committed their lives to keeping our communities safe, they won’t be going home tonight."