Ex-head of Alrosa’s flooded Russian mine found dead in custody

The former head of a Siberian diamond mine owned by Alrosa where eight men were killed in a flood two years ago was found dead in a pre-trial detention centre on Tuesday, a day after he was arrested, Russian investigating authorities said.

A regional branch of the federal Investigative Committee said there were indications the death of Alexey Burkser at the centre in the remote Yakutia region in eastern Siberia had been suicide. Russian state-controlled Alrosa declined to comment.