GENEVA: A man of `African origin` collapsed and died at a Lausanne police station less than an hour after being arrested, Swiss prosecutors said on Monday as they launched a criminal investigation.

The Vaud regional Public Prosecutor`s Office said that at around 9pm on Sunday in central Lausanne, police conducted a check on `a 39-year-old man of African origin`. The man`s nationality has not yet been established. His behaviour `suggested activity related to drug trafficking`, a statement said. The man fled but was `subsequently arrested... after resisting arrest.

`After the situation calmed down, the man was taken to the police station for questioning. `During the intervention, he became unwell. He died shortly before 10pm, despite resuscitation attempts,` which involved the emergency medical services.

The Public Prosecutor`s Office `has opened a criminal investigation to establish the circumstances of the death`, the statement said, with the investigation supported by forensic pathologists and forensic science specialists.-AFP