Survivors say 37 suspected illegal miners died in custody in Nigeria after they struggled to breathe inside a holding cell, according to eNCA. The detainees were being held by a paramilitary agency, eNCA reports. The deaths have triggered protests in the city where they occurred.
Accounts from survivors describe panic inside the cell as those held there fought for air, eNCA reports. The reports do not specify the city, the date of the deaths, or the names of those who died.
The deaths have drawn public anger. Protests erupted after news of the fatalities spread, according to Daily Maverick, and a curfew was imposed in the Nigerian city following the miners' deaths, SABC News reports. The Guardian also reported survivors' accounts of panic and the struggle to breathe.
The case centers on people described as suspected illegal miners, a label that indicates they were accused of mining without authorization rather than convicted. The agency holding them is a paramilitary body, though the reporting available does not name it or explain the conditions inside the cell.
What to watch next: whether Nigerian authorities release the findings of an investigation into how the 37 died, and whether the curfew in the city is lifted or extended.