Police were last night investigating the death of a woman who collapsed at the front door of an Aberdeenshire pub.
Police and ambulance services were called to the Commercial Hotel in Insch after the 27-year-old was found slumped on the ground by a passerby.
Residents in the Garioch village yesterday described waking up to flashing lights and a “sad” scene as paramedics battled to resuscitate the woman.
Police were last night treating death as “unexplained”, but the woman is thought to have had an underlying medical condition.
She was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in a “critical condition” but later died.
Commerce Street in Insch was cordoned off around the hotel by police officers until noon.
The woman, who was found around 6am, is believed to have been living in the Commercial Hotel on a temporary basis.
One local resident said she opened her front door to see the tragic scene, describing the incident as “awful” for the woman’s loved ones.
She said: “I heard them coming in about 6am in the morning when my husband was leaving for work.
“I just saw the ambulance and police coming out and they were pumping her chest at the front door. It was horrible, awful. That is somebody’s daughter.
“It is so sad. I have had a horrible feeling all day. I had seen her about Insch.”
Another local said: “I woke up at about 6am and saw the blue flashing lights. I didn’t think anything of it. The next thing I saw at about 6.45am or 7am there was another ambulance came up.”
Staff at the Commercial Hotel declined to comment yesterday.
Councillor Alison Grant said the hotel was used for temporary accommodation for homeless people trying to get back on their feet.
She added: “It is just tragic this happened to so young a person whatever the circumstances.
“There is not a lot I can say, it is just so sad.
“I’d just like to extend my sympathies to her friends and family.”
A police spokeswoman said: “Police attended at Commerce Street, Insch, this morning at 6.15am following a concerns call for a 27-year-old woman.
“The woman was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where she died.
“The death is being treated as unexplained but there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances.”
An ambulance service spokesman said: “We attended and took a female to Aberdeen Royal infirmary in a critical condition. We were called at 6.10am.”