The initial paramedic to attend to former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia after they were poisoned with Novichok tried to administer a drug used to treat opioids, according to an inquiry. Ian Parsons treated the pair in Salisbury on March 4, 2018. He heard over the VHF radio that a seizure might be taking place. Parsons said the area was well-known for its homeless population and the possibility of drug abuse. The first paramedic at the scene told his colleague to give Naloxone, a drug used to stop an opioid overdose, to Sergei, but it had no effect.
Paramedic Louise Woods said that when she first saw Sergei he was bolt upright on a bench and did not recognize her presence. Woods also said Sergei had vomited and she checked for drug paraphernalia, but did not consider the possibility of deliberate poisoning. She said Sergei looked and sounded like he was in pain but could not communicate this effectively. Dr James Haslam took over the care of Sergei and Yulia from March 5. While his daughter’s condition was worse at the time of arrival, both were eventually unable to breathe unaided.
Dawn Sturgess died four months later in Amesbury after being unintentionally exposed to Novichok concealed in a perfume bottle. The inquiry also heard that Salisbury was previously warned that there was a highly toxic batch of fentanyl in circulation in the UK. The inquiry continues.
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Related topics: Salisbury Poisonings, nerve agent, Dawn Sturgess, Novichok
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