Heroin kills two and puts more in hospital

Two men are dead and two more are fighting for their lives in a Cork hospital amid fears that a lethal batch of high-purity heroin has hit the streets.

At least five people suspected to have taken the same super-concentrated batch were seriously ill in Cork University Hospital (CUH) last night.

All the cases emerged in the last 36 hours prompting health authorities to take the unprecedented step of issuing a public health warning last night before the results of toxicology tests were known.