Two people are critically ill in hospital following an incident in Salisbury yesterday.
Emergency services, including Wiltshire Air Ambulance, were called The Maltings at around 4.15pm on Sunday evening, after concerns were raised for the welfare of a man and a woman.
The pair were taken to Salisbury District Hospital and are being treated for suspected exposure to an unknown substance – both are said to be in a critical condition.
Their admission to hospital led to a major incident which has seen A&E closed this morning, with specialist ambulance crews and firefighters working to decontaminating the area.
Wiltshire Police does not believe there is any risk to the wider public.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: “We received a call at approx. 4.15pm yesterday (4 March 2018) regarding concern for the welfare of a man and a woman in The Maltings, Salisbury.
“They were taken to Salisbury District Hospital and are being treated for suspected exposure to an unknown substance. Both are currently in a critical condition.
“At this stage it is not yet clear if a crime has been committed and a multi-agency response has been co-ordinated. We’re carrying out a full investigation and working with partner agencies, to clarify exact circumstances.”
Salisbury District Hospital has now reopened following the earlier incident.
A Public Health England (PHE) spokesman said: “Based on the limited information available there doesn’t appear to be any further immediate risk to public health.
“PHE understands that those exposed to the substances have been decontaminated, as is standard practice in situations like this.
“Scientists from PHE’s Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, will continue to assist the response and review information as it becomes available.”
