[Source: Reuters]

A group of 37 suspected illegal miners died in detention in ‌Nigeria as a result of severe overcrowding, poor ventilation and neglect, according to a government investigation into their deaths.

The investigating committee, set up after the deaths last month sparked outrage in Nigeria, rejected earlier claims by ​officials that an outbreak of disease was to blame and called for compensation ​for victims and survivors as well as an overhaul of the agency ⁠involved.

The deaths, which included many teenagers working in artisanal gold mines, triggered protests in Nigeria, raising ​fresh concerns about conditions in detention facilities and the treatment of suspects awaiting trial.

Jonathan Kure, chairman of ​the committee, said the deaths were “entirely preventable” and a result of severe overcrowding, deprivation of basic necessities and ignored warnings.

“The tragedy demonstrates the consequences of systemic disregard for detention standards, supervisory responsibilities, and the welfare ​of persons in custody,”

Kure said after his committee reviewed evidence, including detention records, autopsies, ​hospital reports and communication logs.

NSCDC officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The evidence showed the ‌victims ⁠died from asphyxia, an acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded, poorly ventilated cell, worsened by heat stress and dehydration, Kure said.

“The evidence did not support claims that the deaths resulted from a disease outbreak,” Kure said.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), ​the paramilitary agency that ​locked up the ⁠miners as part of efforts to regulate mining, initially suggested the detainees may have died from an unspecified disease before later saying the ​cause had not been established.

The panel recommended 30 million naira (about $22,500) in compensation ​for each ⁠victim’s family and 10 million naira for each of the 41 survivors.