This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-44707052
The article has changed 15 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Amesbury: Two collapse near Russian spy poisoning site | Amesbury: Two collapse near Russian spy poisoning site |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man and woman feared to have been exposed to an unknown substance are in a critical condition, prompting police to declare a major incident. | A man and woman feared to have been exposed to an unknown substance are in a critical condition, prompting police to declare a major incident. |
| The pair, in their 40s, were found unconscious in what was thought to be in a drugs-related incident in Amesbury, Wiltshire, on Saturday. | The pair, in their 40s, were found unconscious in what was thought to be in a drugs-related incident in Amesbury, Wiltshire, on Saturday. |
| Further tests on the substance are being carried out to identify it. | Further tests on the substance are being carried out to identify it. |
| Amesbury is about 10 miles from Salisbury, where a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned. | Amesbury is about 10 miles from Salisbury, where a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned. |
| Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia were poisoned with Novichok, a suspected military nerve agent, in March. | Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia were poisoned with Novichok, a suspected military nerve agent, in March. |
| Police said they are "open-minded" about the cause of the incident at a house in Muggleton Road, Amesbury. | |
| While it was not clear whether a crime had been committed, the force said, a number of scenes in Amesbury and Salisbury known to have been frequented by the couple had been cordoned off. | While it was not clear whether a crime had been committed, the force said, a number of scenes in Amesbury and Salisbury known to have been frequented by the couple had been cordoned off. |
| "It was initially believed that the two patients fell ill after using possibly heroin or crack cocaine from a contaminated batch of drugs," the force said. | "It was initially believed that the two patients fell ill after using possibly heroin or crack cocaine from a contaminated batch of drugs," the force said. |
| "They are both currently receiving treatment for suspected exposure to an unknown substance at Salisbury District Hospital," it added. | "They are both currently receiving treatment for suspected exposure to an unknown substance at Salisbury District Hospital," it added. |
| At the scene: Duncan Kennedy, BBC News | |
| Parked outside the red brick Amesbury Baptist Centre are three police cars and four or five officers standing around with one jotting something down in a notepad. | |
| There are no forensic tents, and it all feels like a very low key operation. | |
| It doesn't feel like a Hazchem or Hazardous Chemical incident. It's not Skripal part two. | |
| It does seem like an incredible coincidence for another incident like this to occur, it may just be the police being cautious or there could be something more to it. | |
| Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said the police had worked hard at "containing any risk that might be there". | Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said the police had worked hard at "containing any risk that might be there". |
| "There's no reason to think it's connected with matters of last month," he said. | "There's no reason to think it's connected with matters of last month," he said. |
| "I haven't seen anything in this incident yet that I would consider to be an overreaction in terms of previous incidents, it all seems fairly textbook." | "I haven't seen anything in this incident yet that I would consider to be an overreaction in terms of previous incidents, it all seems fairly textbook." |
| Public Health England said it did not believe there was a "significant health risk" to the wider public, although its advice was being continually assessed. | Public Health England said it did not believe there was a "significant health risk" to the wider public, although its advice was being continually assessed. |
| Officials said the hospital was "open as usual" and advised patients to attend routine appointments unless contacted and advised to do otherwise. | Officials said the hospital was "open as usual" and advised patients to attend routine appointments unless contacted and advised to do otherwise. |