Scottish political heavyweight Alex Salmond ‘died while opening a bottle of ketchup’ in North Macedonia, witnesses have claimed.
The Alba Party founder – who was Scotland’s first minister from 2007 to 2014 – passed away suddenly on Saturday at the age of 69. He reportedly fell back on his chair in a crowded conference room after helping a colleague with a stubborn sauce bottle.
Mr Salmond had been giving a speech at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum, in the city of Ohrid, just moments before his fatal heart attack.
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Mark Donfried, the director of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy, said the political firebrand then joined fellow attendees for lunch. He was sitting with Alba Party chair Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, who asked him for help with her ketchup.
As he tried to unstick the bottle, Mr Donfried said: “He fell back on his chair, totally out of the blue.”
He described how “time stopped” as paramedics were called and spent half an hour battling to save Mr Salmond’s life. He added: “The entire hotel, the entire conference, was in shock.”
A post-mortem examination on Sunday found Mr Salmond died instantly from a massive heart attack. Aides revealed the ex-Scottish National Party leader had been complaining about pains in his right leg on Saturday morning.
(Image: PA)
Mr Salmond is said to have been struggling with stress caused by his ongoing legal battle with the Scottish government. He has spent years fighting to ensure former colleagues are held accountable for a botched probe into sexual harassment complaints against him.
But a picture taken over the weekend shows him smiling happily in the middle of a crowd of dignitaries, including Ms Ahmed-Sheikh.
Tributes have since poured in for Mr Salmond, with First Minister John Swinney saying he “inspired a generation” to believe in Scottish independence.
And Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, told MPs the politician would leave a “deep and lasting legacy.”
He added: “His sudden death came as a complete shock and the thoughts of this whole House are with his family and friends.”
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