The former head of a giant Siberian diamond mine was found dead in his prision cell a day after being charged over the deaths of miners trapped by flooding, investigators said Tuesday. Eight miners died after water leaked into the Mir mine owned by state-controlled diamond producer Alrosa in 2017. Their bodies were never recovered despite weeks of searches.

The mine's head, Alexei Burkser, and the chief engineer were fired after the accident.

Burkser was found dead with "signs of suicide" in a jail in the northern Yakutia region where the diamond mine is located, investigators said.

On Monday they said Burkser, along with the former chief engineer, had been detained in custody and charged with breaching mining safety rules leading to multiple deaths, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years.

Investigators noted the men failed to halt work in the mine despite knowing water was leaking through.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019