Prisoners were taken to hospital from Portlaoise Prison (pictured) (Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire)
Ten inmates have been rushed to hospital following a suspected mass overdose inside a prison in Ireland.
The inmates are suspected of overdosing at Portlaoise Prison in Portlaoise, County Laois, on Tuesday afternoon.
They were taken to the Midlands Regional Hospital from the high security prison for adult males.
All the inmates were reportedly in a serious condition, according to the RTÉ.
An ambulance arriving at Portlaoise Prison in County Laois, Ireland (Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire)
Now the Irish Prison Service (IPS) has said it has secured extra naloxone kits for clinical intervention which are used to treat overdoses.
The IPS said in a statement: ‘Extra vigilance is being taken across the prison estate and the Irish Prison Service has commenced an information campaign for prisoners around the dangers of consuming contraband.’
The service is carrying out canine searches across the jail, including ‘a greater focus on searching deliveries into prisons,’ it said.
It comes just weeks after the prison service issued an urgent drug alert to all prisons in the country following analysis showing the presence of potentially fatal nitazine drug in prisons.
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