A 43-year-old inmate was pronounced dead Wednes­day after he was found unconscious in his cell at the State Correctional Institute at Huntingdon.

James Rugar of Hazleton was found unconscious in his cell at 12:45 p.m. during a routine check, according to a report from SCI-Hunting­don Superintendent Kevin Kauffman.

Corrections officers immediately provided emergency first aid, and Rugar was later transferred by ambulance to J.C. Blair Memorial Hos­pital, Huntingdon, the report said.

He was pronounced dead at 1:20 p.m. by a hospital doctor.

An SCI-Huntingdon spokes­woman said it is unclear if the inmate was dead when he was found in the cell, as corrections officers are unqualified to make those types of determinations.

No cause of death had been determined by Friday afternoon, she said.

State police at Hunting­don are investigating the death, and the official cause is to be determined by the Huntingdon County coroner’s office, the report said.

Rugar was serving a sentence of 23 years and three months to 62 years for robbery with serious bodily injury. He was convicted in Lackawanna County and has been housed in SCI-Huntingdon since Feb. 4.