Russia's ambassador to Sudan, Mirgayas Shirinsky, has been found dead in the swimming pool at his home in Khartoum.

Employees of the embassy discovered Shirinsky at his residence around 6pm local time, the press secretary of the Sudan mission, Sergey Konyashin, told Russia Today.

The diplomat, who was 62 years old, appeared to have symptoms consistent with a serious heart seizure, Konyashin said, adding that doctors were immediately called to the scene, but were unable to save his life.

Sudan's foreign ministry expressed its condolences to Russia in a statement, praising Shirinsky's diplomatic efforts.

Shirinsky entered diplomatic service in 1977.

In the early 1990s, he served as minister-counsellor at Russia's embassy in Yemen, and was later appointed consul general to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

From 2006 to 2013, he served as ambassador to Rwanda in East Africa, and then, from December 2013, was Russia's envoy to Sudan.