Gardaí investigating death of two prisoners in 10 days at Midlands Prison

Gardaí are investigating the death of two prisoners in the last 10 days at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise.

The first death occurred sometime between the evening of January 27 and the following morning.

While a second inmate was found dead in his cell on Tuesday.

The Irish Examiner reports that suicide is suspected as the cause of death in both instances, but investigations are ongoing.

The paper says it is highly unusual for two deaths to occur in such a short time span in a single prison.

The Irish Prison Service, the Inspector of Prisons and the gardaí are investigating.