Dozens of suspects accused of illegal mining were found dead in custody in Nigeria's north-central Niger State. Officials blame disease, while reports cite overcrowding and poor ventilation.

At least 37 people believed to be illegal miners died Thursday while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), according to the governor of Nigeria's north-central Niger State.

"This morning we woke up to the news that about 37 persons died in the custody of the civil defense here in Minna," Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago told reporters in the state's capital.

He called the incident "sad" and "tragic," adding that a committee of inquiry into the deaths had been established and was already working. The governor declared three days of mourning and postponed the start of campaigning for the January elections.

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The police in Niger State announced that they have launched an investigation and urged relatives of the victims to come forward with any helpful information.

What do we know about the incident?

The suspects have been detained since the security agency made arrests on Tuesday and Wednesday due to suspicions of illegal mining in the state, said Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, head of the NSCDC in Niger, in a statement on Thursday.

Aniviye said that although the agency suspects the detainees died of disease, their bodies were sent to a local hospital for a medical examination to determine the cause of death. He did not specify the type of disease.

However, according to the intelligence report, "preliminary information suggests the fatalities may have resulted from overcrowding and inadequate ventilation within a detention facility."

A 40-second video shared online showed the bodies of dozens of young men, most of whom appeared to be teenagers. Volunteers wearing gloves stood over the bodies, while veiled women tried to identify their relatives.

Survivors describe a lack of ventilation

Dauda Shehu, one of the survivors, told the Associated Press that 65 detainees were packed into a poorly ventilated cell. "We were jampacked and there was no ventilation for us to breathe well," he said.

"All of a sudden, we realized that we could not breathe and we started scrambling to get fresh air," Shehu added. The detainees tried to get the guards' attention by banging on the cell door, he explained.

Spanning more than twice the area of Belgium, Niger State is rich in minerals and attracts thousands of artisanal miners, most of whom are lured by the hope of striking gold.

According to officials and experts, the scramble for gold reserves dug up in illegal mines in Niger State is also fueling violence by criminal gangs known locally as bandits. These gangs tax miners and demand a cut of the extracted ore in exchange for access to the pits.

Edited by: Sean Sinico