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37 detainees die in Nigerian custody after arrest on illegal mining suspicion

37 people were found dead on Thursday in a detention center in Nigeria, where they had been detained on suspicion of illegal mining, local authorities said.

Police have launched an investigation into the deaths, which authorities say were caused by a disease outbreak. But a survivor told the AP that 65 people were crammed into a cell with poor ventilation and may have suffocated to death. A report from the investigation, seen by AFP, also points to the same shortcomings in the detention center.

The incident occurred in Niger state in northern Nigeria, where three days of mourning have been declared.

"It's so sad. It's so tragic," Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago said during a press conference, according to AFP.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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