The drug overdose death of another young adult at an Australian music festival on Saturday has intensified calls for pill testing to be legalised.
The 19-year-old woman, Alex Ross-King, attended FOMO music festival alongside 11,000 glittered-up revellers in Sydney’s west on Saturday.
But a fun day out ended in tragedy as the woman was rushed to Westmead Hospital around 6pm, where she later died of a suspected drug overdose.
Her sudden death brings the number of fatal overdoses to six – five in NSW and one in Victoria – in the last four months.
Australia is in the midst of a music festival drug crisis as another young adult dies at a music event of a suspected overdose
The death brings the number of such fatalities to six in just six months – as calls for pill testing intensifies
The 19-year-old woman, Alex Ross-King, (pictured) attended FOMO music festival alongside 11,000 glittered-up revellers in Sydney’s west on Saturday
The FOMO music festival was held amid increased scrutiny on drug-taking and a renewed debate surrounding pill testing at music festivals across the country.
Just weeks before, on Saturday, December 29 university student Callum Edwards, 20, fell critically ill at the Beyond The Valley music festival in Lardner, about 100km east of Melbourne in Victoria.
He was flown to hospital where he died three days later from a suspected drug overdose.
His family later refuted this as reports emerged Mr Edwards died with tiger snake venom in his blood.
Just weeks before, on Saturday, December 29 politics and history student Callum Edwards, 20, (pictured) fell critically ill at the Beyond The Valley music festival
The same weekend Josh Tam, 22, (pictured) died after taking an unknown substance at Lost Paradise festival in Gosford, New South Wales
Mr Edward’s death followed two other revellers at the same festival being rushed to hospital suffering from suspected drug overdoses.
A man in his 20s was rushed by air ambulance to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition but was later upgraded to stable and discharged.
Another man, also in his 20s, was taken to Dandenong Hospital in a critical condition.
The same weekend Josh Tam, 22, died after taking an unknown substance at Lost Paradise festival in Gosford, New South Wales.
Mr Tam, from Toowong in Brisbane, was rushed to Gosford hospital at 8pm on Saturday, December 29 and died soon after arriving.
Mr Tam, (pictured) from Toowong in Brisbane, was rushed to Gosford hospital at 8pm on Saturday, December 29 and died soon after arriving
Earlier in December, 19-year-old Callum Brosnan, (pictured) from Baulkham Hills, was found in a ‘distressed state’ at the Knockout Games of Destiny Dance Party
Festival organisers took to their social media account following the incident to warn of a ‘dangerous orange pill’ in circulation across Australia.
The festival organisers also warned: ‘We want to remind everyone of the potentially fatal risks that come with illicit substances. You do not know what is in them, how your body will react, there is no safe level of consumption.’
‘One pill can kill.’
Earlier in December, 19-year-old Callum Brosnan, from Baulkham Hills, was found in a ‘distressed state’ at the Knockout Games of Destiny Dance Party at Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush, Sydney.
He was admitted to Concord Hospital with a suspected drug overdose just before 1.30am on Sunday, December 9 and died little more than three hours later.
Nursing student Tina Thanh Truc Phan, 18, later admitted she attempted to smuggle 390 ecstasy pills into the Knockout Games of Destiny festival.
The deaths of revellers Joseph Phan, 23, and Diana Nguyen, 21, at Defqon. 1. music festival on September 15 shocked the country and threw the future of the popular Sydney festival into doubt.
The double deaths prompted NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to call for a ban on the event (pictured: Joseph Phan, left, Diana Nguyen, right)
Their deaths prompted NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to call for a ban on the event, saying: ‘I never want to see this event held in Sydney or New South Wales ever again – we will do everything we can to shut this down.’
The recent spate of fatalities prompted Australia’s largest music festivals to write an open letter calling on state and territory governments to allow pill testing trials at events in a bid to prevent more deaths.
The New South Wales government previously rejected pill testing but Premier Gladys Berejiklian indicated earlier this month that she would consider it if the government was shown evidence it could save lives.
Some advocacy groups are also recommending young party-goers to use DIY drug testing kits before consuming the illicit substances.