MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2022) Hundreds of people in the line to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state required medical assistance on Saturday, bringing the total past 1,000, London Ambulance Service said.
"Working in partnership with St John Ambulance, yesterday we provided care to 368 people queuing to see HM The Queen lying-in-state. 55 of those were taken to hospital, bringing the total number of people seen to 1,078 with 136 people taken to hospital," it said on Sunday.
Ambulance staff have been working together with some 2,000 volunteers from St John Ambulance, an international first-aid charity, to care for those wishing to pay respects to the late monarch before the Monday funeral.
St John Ambulance said cold nighttime temperatures were the main challenge, particularly for people queuing beside the River Thames. The most common complaints, it said, were blisters, dehydration and feeling faint.
Access to the queue was closed on Sunday after capacity was reached. The lying-in-state period ends at 6.30 a.m. on Monday, hours before the funeral procession begins. Wait times to see the queen's coffin at Westminster Hall reached 24 hours on Friday.
