Christopher BarrettAfter a woman died at the Skye Live music festival in Portree on the Isle of Skye on Saturday, May 11, its organisers have expressed their grief while Scotland’s deputy first minister Kate Forbes has called for an investigation into emergency medical provision on the Hebridean island.
A local police representative said that shortly before midnight on 11 May, they were called to a report of a woman unwell at an event in Portree: “Police and ambulance attended however the woman was pronounced dead. Enquiries continue however there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.”
A spokesperson from Skye Live said, “We are heartbroken by the tragic incident that occurred at our festival. Our thoughts are with the person’s loved ones, and we continue to cooperate fully with the authorities.”
Forbes said she was hugely concerned by reports that during the time of the medical emergency access to the local hospital was “limited for vital life-saving equipment”. She has called on NHS Highland to investigate medical provision in the area.
“My first aim is to get all the facts so that I understand precisely what happened, and secondly there must be accountability,” she said.
The event, located on the Am Meall peninsula overlooking Portree Harbour, involved two performance areas including a big top main stage that saw performances by acts such as Tide Lones, Niteworks and Peatbog Faeries. The event is organised by a team led by festival director Niall Munro.