British woman dies after exposure to Russian nerve agent

Police are looking into the suspected murder of 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess who collapsed over a week ago in an apartment in Amesbury, Wiltshire, southern England, about a dozen kilometres from the site of the attack on Skripal in Salisbury in March.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "appalled and shocked" by the death, public broadcaster BBC reported.

Angus Macpherson, Wiltshire police and crime commissioner said: "Ms Sturgess was an innocent member of the public who should have been able to go about her daily life without becoming an unwilling victim in such an unprecedented, international, incident," according to the BBC.

A 45-year-old man, Charlie Rowley, who was exposed to the agent Novichok together with Sturgess, remains in hospital in a "critical" condition.

Police are unsure how Sturgess and Rowley were exposed to Novichok but tests indicate they touched a contaminated object with their hands, the BBC reported.

Police suspect the pair may have touched a contaminated item left over from the Skripal attack.

The UK’s Met Police said the possibility that there is a link between the most recent poisonings and the Skripal attack is a "clear line of inquiry," the BBC reported.

The investigation into Sturgess’ death is being led by detectives from the Counter-Terrorism Policing Network. Some 100 detectives are working on the case alongside Wiltshire Police, the BBC added.

Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found in a catatonic state in Salisbury on March 4 after being poisoned with Novichok.

They both spent weeks in hospital but have since been released.

Prime Minister May has said it was “highly likely” that Russia was responsible for the attack on Skripal.

The Kremlin has denied “absurd” allegations of Russian involvement in either incident, the TASS Russian news agency reported. (vb/pk)

Source: BBC/IAR