Woman, 30, dies in Newry waiting for ambulance to arrive from Belfast | Newry Times

A woman in her 30s has died in Newry while waiting for paramedics to come from Belfast due to a shortage of ambulance crews in the local area.

It is believed the woman was out with friends on Sunday and collapsed while walking home along the Trevor Hill area of the city.

According to the BBC, it took paramedics around 45 minutes to make the 38-mile journey to Newry from Belfast and by the time they arrived, the lady had passed away.

Sinn Féin’s Liz Kimmins said the tragic death has shocked the local community.

Kimmins said, “I wish to extend m sympathies to the family and the friends of the young woman who died in tragic circumstances in Newry on Sunday.

“This tragedy has shocked the local community and a family has been left heartbroken.

“It’s deeply concerning that this young woman died while waiting on an ambulance coming from Belfast due to huge shortages in the Southern Trust.

“Without an urgent intervention to tackle the lack of Ambulance staff, this crisis will continue to get worse.

“The Department of Health must immediately step in and support our health trusts by putting in place the necessary resources to keep our ambulances on the road,” she added.

Nicola Grant, Workers Party Assembly candidate in Newry and Armagh, expressed her sympathy.

“This is a terrible tragedy and a very difficult and heartbreaking time for this young woman’s family and friends.

“They are very much in my thoughts”, Nicola said.

“I would also like to express my sympathy to the ambulance crew which travelled from Belfast to the call handlers and all their colleagues in the Ambulance Service.

“This will undoubtedly affect them as well.

“It is important for public confidence that a full and clear explanation of the circumstances is forthcoming as quickly as possible.

“There must also be steps taken immediately by the Department of Health and the Ambulance Service to address the shortage of resources to ensure that this type of incident can never happen again,” Nicola adds.

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Posted by NewryTimes News on Apr 11 2022. Filed under Community, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry