New details after Sydney festival deaths
Two people have died and more than 70 have been charged after attending large-scale music festivals in Sydney over the holiday weekend.
Emergency services were called Sydney Olympic Boulevarde at Olympic Park after a 26-year-old man collapsed just before 1am on Sunday.
The man, who reportedly attended the Knockout music festival, was rushed to Concord Hospital where he tragically died sometime later.
About the same time, paramedics were called to a hotel on George St where a man had collapsed.
The 21-year-old had attended the same music festival.
His friends are believed to have called triple-0 before he was taken to St Vincent’s hospital.
Tragically, the man died in the hospital sometime later.
Detectives have commenced investigations into both incidents, with reports to be prepared for the Coroner.
A NSW Health spokesperson confirmed the two men had attended the Knockout festival prior to being treated by paramedics.
The spokesperson further revealed nine urgent medical transfers to hospital had been undertaken from the western Sydney festival.
The Listen Out festival, held the same day, resulted in one medical transport, while none were recorded by the Dragon Dreaming festival.
Police Detective Superintendent Simon Glasser said detectives would investigate whether the deaths were the result of a drug overdose.
“It (the death) is not specifically being treated as a suspected drug overdose. We look at all avenues,” Superintendent Glasser said.
“Anything could have happened. Obviously that’s an assumption people are making.
“However, we look at everything to make sure we we don’t have a closed investigation.”
The festival, the second that day alongside Listen Out, marks the start of the summer music festival season, which will extend into next year.
Police were on high alert on Saturday as more than 27,000 people descended on the city for the Listen Out festival.
The festival, the last of a multi-city tour, featured artists such as Skrillex, Lil Uzi Vert, Ice Spice, Four Tet, and Marc Rebillet.
Western Sydney drill rap group OneFour were a last-minute addition to the Sydney line-up, despite one of their members being on remand.
Lead member, Pio Misa – better known as “YP” was taken into police custody on the same day the group was added to the line-up.
He has since been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and destroying or damaging property over an alleged brawl in Windsor.
In a statement, police said as many as 85 people were detected as being in possession of prohibited drugs at the festival.
Of those, 37 field court attendance notices, 29 criminal infringement notices, and 19 so-called cannabis cautions were issued.
A further eight people – five men and three women – were charged with the more serious offence of supplying a prohibited drug.
Two people were also arrested for assaulting police, one for wilful and obscene exposure, and another for breach of bail.
Among those arrested were two men – aged 19 and 23 – who were allegedly found with 63 MDMA capsules and cocaine outside the event.
A 21-year-old man was also arrested outside the Knockout festival after he was allegedly found with a cache of illicit drugs.
Police allege the man was carrying 61 ecstasy tablets, 40 MDMA capsules as well as cocaine in his possession at the time.
Later that evening, a 26-year-old man who attempted to flee from police was allegedly found with 491 MDMA pills and 4g of cocaine, and cash.
All three men were refused bail to appear before Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday.
