Maputo, Mozambique - At least 22 inmates in a Mozambican prison have died over the past four months, mostly due to lack of medical assistance, officials revealed Wednesday.

The deaths took place at the Chimoio penitentiary in the central province of Manica, prison director Francisco Mathe told Mozambique's Noticias daily.

Of the 22, some were detainees who had not yet been convicted of a crime, he said.

Most died of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS-related illnesses. Two committed suicide.

Mathe said the prisoners lacked medical assistance but added that prison authorities had been loathe to transfer them to hospital for fear they might escape.

Overcrowding is often blamed for the spread of infectious diseases like tuberculosis in prisons in sub-Saharan Africa. The Chimoio jail houses 991 people, far above its capacity of a few hundred.

A report produced by the Human Rights Commission in neighbouring Zambia in April showed that one in seven inmates in that country's prisons are critically ill.

The report blamed overcrowding and poor sanitation for the situation. (dpa)