Triple drugs deaths: 'See a doctor' plea made to partygoers

People who attended a party in nationalist west Belfast and took drugs were tonight being urged to seek urgent medical attention following the deaths of three young men.

Police believe the deaths were drug related and that they may have been caused by prescription drugs morphine or diazepam which had not been issued on prescription.

Post mortem tests were being carried out to confirm the cause of death of the three.

They were named by the RUC as Eamon McCoubrey, 22, of Hannaglen Heights, Jim O’Connor, 20 from Beechmount Drive, and Thomas Sterritt, 18, from Tullymore Walk, all west Belfast.

The three friends had met up in a nightspot on the Falls Road on Saturday night and gone on to a party in the Westrock area, believed to have been held in the home of the girlfriend of one of the deceased.

They were found dead in a house in Westrock Green in the Ballymurphy area when an ambulance was called to the scene at 9.30 am.

Ambulance staff found one man dead in a downstairs room and another in an upstairs bedroom.

An hour later Mr Sterritt was found dead at his home in Andersonstown.

Fear spread through the area that others who attended the party could be lying dead or ill elsewhere.

Sinn Fein Assembly member for west Belfast Sue Ramsey, a member of the Health Committee at Stormont, visited the house where the two men died.

She said: ‘‘I know they went to a nightclub last night and went on to a party and there is a suggestion drugs were involved and that the result of that was the deaths of three young people.’’

She said it was feared that others who attended the party could be affected by drugs. ‘‘That is a concern we have right away, and it is also a concern of local residents.

‘‘I have just come out of the house where two of the bodies were found and have talked to a number of the young ones there and asked them to try and get the word out through their own friends asking the kids who were at the party to go and seek medical attention.

‘‘I would appeal to everyone to take this seriously and if they were at the party to go and get medical attention.’’

Joe Deakin, who is in charge of the Northern Ireland Anti-Drugs Strategy, said the deaths should be a warning to other young people to keep away from narcotics.

‘‘These three young people have died, families have been torn apart I think it is a terrible tragedy.

‘‘Young people should please stay safe and not become involved in taking drugs.’’

The RUC said detectives were investigating whether the three men had taken unprescribed prescription drugs morphine or diazepam.

They urged anyone who had taken such tablets to seek immediate medical attention.