The final moments of a distressed young girl who died from a suspected drug overdose at a music festival have been revealed.
Alex Ross-King, 19, was rushed to Westmead Hospital from FOMO Music Festival in Parramatta on Saturday at about 6pm, but later died that evening with her family by her side.
Friends of the teenage reveller have revealed that in her last seconds of life, she could tell ‘something had gone wrong’.
In Alex Ross-King’s (pictured) final moments, she and her friends visited a medical tent, knowing something was awry
The young woman went to the festival’s medical tent feeling unwell, only moments before she collapsed, Nine News reported.
Her friends believe it was a mixture of drugs and extreme heat that killed her.
She had been dancing in the blistering 35C sun with a crowd of more than 11,000 other people.
More than a third of the 146 people searched by police for drugs were found with illicit substances in their possession.
‘Everywhere I looked people were on drugs and drinking a lot of alcohol so it’s scary that it could be one of my friends next,’ one festival-goer said.
Ms Ross-King’s is the fifth person to die from suspected drug overdose at New South Wales music festivals in the past four months.
The teen’s friends believe a combination of drugs, suspected to be MDMA, and heat killed her
The tragic death has led to renewed calls for pill testing to be introduced, spearheaded by Ms Ross-King’s family.
Grandmother Denise Doig says she’s fearful her beloved granddaughter’s death will just ‘pass by’, and wants pill testing to be introduced as her final ‘legacy’.
‘Premier, please: can we have this pill testing done. It’s such a small thing to do, it’s not hard. Let’s try and get it out there,’ Ms Doig told Network Ten on Sunday.
‘If it saves one life; one life is a life. And these are children.’
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has remained unmoved in her stance against pill testing.
‘I want to make sure we reduce deaths and my worry is pill testing could actually have the opposite effect,’ she said in Sydney on Sunday.
Her family have spearheaded calls for pill testing to be introduced as a show of her ‘legacy’
Ms Ross-King’s uncle Phil Clark also spoke, saying the entire family of the teenager were ‘grieving heavily’.
‘Strong leadership isn’t always about sticking to an ideological decision or a position when there’s possibly mountain [of] evidence or advice that maybe something else should be tried,’ he said.
‘Strong leadership is trying something different.’
Friends remembered her as a ‘remarkable human being, who had a positive impact on every single persons life that she walked into’, while family shared their grief and broken hearts on social media.
Pictured; Alex Ross-King, 19, died after a suspected drug overdose at the FOMO music festival on Saturday
‘My heart is broken and [I’m] lost for words,’ her cousin Rhys Ross-Clark wrote.
‘This world is cruel and unfair. Love you my beautiful cousin.’
Ms Ross-King had attended the festival with friends, one who shared her shock over the tragic turn of events in an emotional Facebook post.
‘You were always full of life and a genuine person with such a big heart and quite easily one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, you were the life of the party always,’ Tayla Brookhouse wrote.
‘You’ll be very missed by way too many people. Heaven’s gained another angel, rest easy and don’t stop partying.’
Friend Brooke Farr said Alex was ‘such a lively, happy girl’, who had a big impact on her childhood.
‘She taught me how to have confidence and helped me through some tough times,’ she said. ‘I’m forever grateful because it all helped me be a better version of who I am.
‘She truly was beautiful, inside and out.
‘I will always continue to ask myself why this life takes the best people so early.’
The young woman was remembered as a ‘remarkable person’ who impacted the lives of everyone she knew
Kiarra Harrison said the young woman was a kind of soulmate, and said there were ‘no words’ to describe her sorrow.
‘You understood me completely, no matter the situation no matter what I did you were always there to pick me up or tell me to stop being an idiot,’ she said.
‘Your kind heart will never be forgotten by anyone that it touched.
‘I am so broken and confused, this world is such an unfair place.
‘I love you with my whole soul Al, forever. Shine bright up there.
The FOMO festival, which plays electronic hip-hop music, was home to an increased police presence, following five other deaths at similar events in just the last four months.
Event organisers appeared just as concerned as police about the alarming spike in deaths, advising of the safety hotline and first aid facilities in the lead-up to the event.
Alex (left) died in Westmead Hospital after being taken there from the music festival, making her the fifth person to die in four months at a music festival in Australia
‘We’re here to help, please party safe,’ the organisers said over the event’s Facebook page.
Nearly 30 would-be revellers were refused entry to the party, while 24 others were kicked out for fighting or being too intoxicated.
Police searched a total of 146 people, 54 of whom were found in possession of drugs. Two were charged with possession.
Organisers of the festival, which was headlined by Nikki Minaj, said in a statement the event was anti-drug.
‘Our most heartfelt and sincerest condolences go out to her family and friends,’ a spokeswoman said on Sunday.
‘The safety and wellbeing of our patrons is at the forefront of every planning decision.
‘Our anti-drug messaging began weeks ahead of the event and continued at the event itself – a message we’re proud to deliver and will continue to do so with unwavering commitment in order to keep our beloved patrons safe.’