A 21 year old man, a national of Guinea-Conakry, died this morning at the Detention Centre for Foreigners in the Zona Franca district of Barcelona.
The man had been moved from the detention centre in Melilla to Barcelona on December 22nd and was sharing a cell with five other inmates of African origin. It was his cell mates who alerted the guards that he was having breathing difficulties.
Guards, and subsequently medical staff, tried in vain to revive the man. Preliminary indications are that he died as a result of a heart attack although the exact cause of death won’t be know until after an autopsy has been carried out.
According to the police, the man had shown no prior signs of illness. According to some inmates, however, there were prior signs of illness and they have been making such declarations to lawyers.
In anticipation of increased tension at the centre, more police have been brought in to try and prevent any incidents from occurring.