A MAN IN his 70s has died after the ambulance he was in broke down on a motorway.

The man was being brought from his home in Ennis to University Hospital Limerick yesterday when the ambulance broke on the M8.

A 999 call was received just after 6am yesterday. A rapid response vehicle with an advanced paramedic on board and an ambulance were dispatched and arrived within ten minutes.

The man was then transferred to University Hospital Limerick. However, en route, the ambulance broke down on the M18.

In a statement, the National Ambulance Service said:

“While en route to UHL with the patient on board the ambulance broke down on the M18 at 07:44hrs.

The NAS National Emergency Operations Centre immediately dispatched an emergency ambulance from Limerick to assist, and arrived at 08:03hrs. The patient was transferred to the Limerick ambulance and left the scene for UHL at 08:05hrs. The emergency ambulance arrived at UHL at 08.18hrs.

It is believed that the man died shortly after arriving in the hospital. It is not known if the breakdown affected his chances of survival. The National Ambulance Service says it cannot comment on specifics, citing patient confidentiality.

The ambulance involved is thought to be less than five years old.

Read: Where you live could determine whether an ambulance gets to you on time

Read: An ambulance broke down during an emergency once every 33 days last year