under fire from one of the first people to arrive on the scene.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the man said he called the dispatcher and said that two ambulances were needed. "I told them that there was a double fatal,'' he said. "One came promptly but the second was slow. It took at least 20 minutes to arrive.'' But the hospital's executive director, Mr. Hume Martin, said that the call the dispatcher received did not contain any specific information.

"We sent one ambulance... they arrived within 12 to 15 minutes of the call which I think was a reasonable time given the distance.

"After the Police arrived they called for a second ambulance which explains the delay because it had only been summoned after the Police got there.''