Police in Northern Ireland are investigating whether the sudden death of a 15-year-old girl over the weekend may have been linked to drugs.

Emergency services were called after the teenager fell unconscious in woodland in the Corcrain area of Portadown on Saturday night.

She was taken by ambulance to Craigavon Area Hospital where she died a short time later.

PSNI Chief Inspector Joe McMinn said a post-mortem will be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.

“At this early stage of the investigation, one of our lines of enquiry is a possible link to drugs,” he said.

He said there were a “large number of young people” in the area when police arrived on scene – and called for anyone with any information to contact police.

The tragic death has been met with great sadness in Portadown; with local councillor and youth worker Darryn Causby telling Q Radio News that the community is “totally shocked to see a young person’s life cut so tragically short.”

“What we have to do now as a community is to rally together and support each other and support our young people,” he said.