Police are investigating the death of a 72-year-old man at Sutherland public hospital, which occurred after a woman had allegedly sabotaged gas supplies at the facility.

New South Wales police on Tuesday charged a woman, 42, with cutting Kareena private hospital’s non-medical gas supply and water mains at 12.20am that day.

Police alleged the woman then “switched off the gas main” at Sutherland hospital, which is located on the same road as Kareena private in Caringbah, at 1.30am.

The loss of gas forced Sutherland hospital to switch to portable oxygen and air as part of its contingency plans, according to the NSW health minister, Ryan Park.

Police on Wednesday said “an investigation is under way following the death of a man at a Sutherland hospital yesterday”.

Police were informed on Tuesday afternoon that a man had died at a hospital on Kareena Road.

“Officers were told a 72-year-old man had died in the hospital about 2.30am,” police said in a statement.

“Doctors subsequently issued a death certificate. A report is being prepared for the information of the coroner.”

The 42-year-old woman was charged on Tuesday afternoon with two counts of public nuisance, two counts of entering prescribed premises of any person without lawful excuse, sabotage, and destroying or damaging property and breach of bail.

She was also charged with tampering with a fire alarm or fire signalling apparatus and trespass on protected premises in relation to an alleged incident at a Darlinghurst hostel on Monday.

The woman was refused bail to appear before Sutherland local court on Wednesday. She has not been charged in relation to the man’s death.

The NSW health minister said on Tuesday that “the cause of the loss of gases is alleged to be deliberate sabotage” at Sutherland hospital.

“To [allegedly] do this is beyond serious. It could have been catastrophic,” Park said.

He also said gas systems had been restored “within approximately two hours” and “there was no impact to patient care”.