UK: Two people hospitalized in critical condition after Skripal

The mystery surrounding Wednesday the hospitalization of two people in critical condition after being exposed to an "unknown substance" in Amesbury, a city in the south of England next to the one where an ex-Russian spy had been Victims of Innervating Agent Poisoning in March

Two Britons, 44-year-old female and 45-year-old man, "receive treatment for alleged exposure to an unknown substance at Salisbury Hospital "said Paul Mills, a police chief from Wiltshire, in a statement to the press.

"They remain in critical condition," he added. The event is considered a "major incident" but "at this point it is not yet clear whether a crime has been committed".

The anti-terrorist police have been badociated with the investigation as "procedural", said Scotland Yard.

The two forty-year-olds were found Saturday, June 30 in a residential area of ​​Amesbury , located about fifteen miles from Salisbury.

– "Moss" in the mouth –

According to Mr. Mills, the emergency services were called in the morning for "a woman having lost consciousness". They were recalled to the same place later the same day, this time "after reports of a man having also felt bad".

Sam Hobson, who introduced himself to AFP as their friend, identified them as Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess. According to him, Dawn Sturgess first fell ill, and had "foam coming out of her mouth". Then Charlie "sweated heavily, and we could not talk to him, he made funny noises, and he rocked back and forth without answering."

Nathalie Smyth, a 27-year-old neighbor, told AFP Saturday that firefighters and ambulances had "blocked the road". "Some people wore protective suits."

On 4 March, the then 66-year-old spy Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, were victims of an attempted poisoning. agent innervant at Salisbury, an incident attributed by the United Kingdom, supported by its Western allies, to Russia. This one denies. The episode resulted in a diplomatic crisis and the largest wave of cross-expulsions of Russian and Western diplomats in history.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said the event was being treated with " the biggest seriousness ". An emergency meeting was organized Wednesday morning and another will be held in the evening.

The Salisbury Hospital Entrance Photographed on March 6, 2018 / AFP / Archives

In Amesbury, Police originally suggested a drug-related incident, but said that additional tests now take place "to establish the nature of the substance". Samples were brought to the Porton Down Military Laboratory for testing, according to British media

"We remain open-minded about the circumstances of the incident," said Paul Mills.

– 'Perplexed and shocked' –

Several security cordones were set up in places where the two forty-year-olds could have gone and the police presence was reinforced, including the Amesbury housing, City Baptist Church and Queen Elizabeth Gardens at Salisbury

"We are all very perplexed and shocked," said church secretary Roy Collins. "Of course, the connection with Salisbury and the recent events is leading to increased public interest, there are some concerns."

Public Health England (PHE) was of the view that this event posed "no significant health risk for the general public. "

Exposure to an" unknown substance "/ AFP

Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a bench in a center commercial and hospitalized in critical condition. They had both been victims of an attempted poisoning with a Novitchok family of innervant, conceived in the Soviet Union, according to the British government.

The first policeman who rescued them had also been infected and hospitalized in a serious condition. All three had been treated for several weeks before being able to leave the hospital.

The police then squared the city of Salisbury with the help of the army. Police cordonages had been installed, particularly around the former spy's house, and at Salisbury Cemetery.

Chemical clean-up work is underway on contaminated sites

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