Two patients died from heart attacks waiting to be seen in a Glasgow accident and emergency unit.
An investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the tragedies at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital amid growing concerns about waiting times.
The deaths occurred despite rules demanding all new arrivals are triaged within 15 minutes, and it is understood the patients were in a queue to be assessed at the time, the Daily Record reports.
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NHS officials will carry out the probe and look into pressures in patient care at the hospital at the time, however it follows a Royal College of Emergency Medicine warning that long waits for treatment have contributed to hundreds of avoidable deaths.
Just last week Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, demanded an inquiry into the number of patients who have died.
He said: "The Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for an urgent inquiry into avoidable deaths caused by the crisis in emergency care.
"These tragic cases highlight exactly why that inquiry is needed. For every extra hour people wait for an ambulance or wait in A&E, there is a demonstrable risk of further fatalities like this will happen."
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman, added: "This is obviously a tragic set of incidents that requires investigation. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine have warned the SNP government time and time again that long waiting times will lead to people losing their lives. Action must be taken by Humza Yousaf as a matter of urgency."
A spokesman for Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board, which runs the QEUH, said: "Our staff are working extremely hard at a time of considerable pressure and they are doing their very best to prioritise care to patients most in need.
"While we cannot comment on individual patients, we have clear and robust processes for reviewing the care we provide and where issues are identified we work closely with the relevant services to implement required changes.
"We work extremely hard to find solutions to staffing challenges and we work closely with services to mitigate issues that arise and ensure as much as possible that the impact on patient care is minimised. We would like to extend our sympathy to families who have lost a loved one.
"These tragic cases show why an inquiry is needed."
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