The Justice Ministry launched an inquest on Monday into the deaths of two prisoners who were found dead in their cells at a prison on the Ionian island of Corfu after allegedly overdosing on drugs.

Police said the men, who were not named, were found by a prison guard and rushed to the hospital but doctors confirmed that both convicts had died. Officers said that both men were serving long prison sentences but did not specify what crimes they had committed.

This incident is the latest in a series of events this year that have led to conditions at Greek jails being slammed and prison staff being heavily criticized.

Three prisoners burned to death in Korydallos prison, western Athens, in March, prompting calls for an end to overcrowding at Greek jails, which hold more than double the convicts they were designed to accommodate.

Meanwhile, the governor of Korydallos and three guards were suspended in June after a high-profile prisoner escaped from the jail by helicopter.