A 63-year-old prisoner has died at the central prison in Nicosia, Cyprus. The man was found in his cell on Friday afternoon. He was taken to Nicosia General Hospital. Sadly, he was pronounced dead there.
Prison staff found the prisoner around 3:55 PM. They tried to help him right away. Then, they took him to the hospital's emergency room. Doctors tried to save him. However, they were not successful. His death was officially confirmed.
On Saturday, a forensic pathologist did an autopsy. His name was Nicolas Charalambous. The autopsy showed the cause of death. It was asphyxiation. This means he could not breathe. Food blocked his airway. Therefore, other causes of death were ruled out.
We do not know why the food blocked his airway. Investigators are looking into this. The autopsy report clearly shows how he died. This sad event shows the risks in prisons. It also shows how important it is to watch prisoners. Prompt medical help is also very important.
The prison has not shared the prisoner's name. They also did not say why he was in prison. This is because of privacy rules. However, the autopsy results give some answers. The prison service will now check its rules. They want to make sure this does not happen again.