Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop has demanded a full explanation from Russia after a woman died in the UK following exposure to a nerve agent.
Dawn Sturgess, 44, died on Sunday after being exposed to Novichok on June 30 in western England, 11 kilometres from where Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were attacked with the same poison four months ago.
"Russia must explain how it is that Novichok could be in the United Kingdom," Ms Bishop told reporters in Queensland on Monday.
Ms Bishop says Russia must also explain the status of its stockpiles of Novichok, a Russian-manufactured military grade nerve agent.
"This is a chilling reminder of the event at Salisbury some months ago and we're deeply saddened to hear a woman has died as a result of exposure to Novichok," she said.
