The Malaysian leg of popular Australian dance music festival Future Music Festival has had its third day cancelled after up to six people died of suspected drug overdoses on day two.
Promoters Future Music say they heeded the authority’s advice and in the interest of public safety decided not to proceed with Day-3 of Future Music Festival Asia 2014. “This is also to help in the on-going investigation,” the promoters said in a statement. “We appreciate the understanding of all parties and will share updates on this matter as soon as possible.”
According to 3News, Kuala Lumpur Police have confirmed that six people suffocated after taking drugs while attending the music festival on Saturday. The six dead were all locals aged between 21 and 28 years old, and are suspected to have taken methamphetamines before or during the event.
Police have revealed that one individual died whilst still on festival grounds, another individual died en route to hospital, and a further four individuals died at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM).
It has also been reported that up to 14 other people, of whom nine are Singaporeans, are recovering in hospital after overdosing at the event. The police have detained 29 people in relation to drug possession at the concert, and they will be remanded until Tuesday.
Future Music, and local promoter Livescape Asia, have issued a statement saying they are deeply saddened by the reported loss of lives on Friday 14th March. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those affected,” organisers said.
“The health and safety of our patrons is of upmost importance to us and we are extremely devastated that circumstances such as these occurred despite the significant planning and resources in place.”
ACP Tuan Mohan Singh, District Police Chief, IPD Cheras, confirmed that police had “worked closely with event organizers, security, Bukit Jalil Stadium and a number of other government agencies in the planning process. A high visibility police operation featuring over 100 police members was in place to work across crowd control and drug detection activities.”
“We recognize the efforts of the organizers in putting in place preventative health and safety measures at the event,” he added. “They have cooperated fully with the Police on both days to create a safe environment for the public. What happened at the event is unfortunate and we remind all members of the public of the immense dangers associated with the use of illegal substances.”
Unforutnately, the deaths at Future Music Festival Asia over the weekend are not unprecedented. A number of music festivals around the world have had similar tragedies over the past few years.
In 2013, Festival promoters Q-Dance Australia were “deeply saddened” by the death of James Munro, who died of an overdose after swallowing “three pills” at Defqon.1 in Sydney. A further 14 were hospitalised and 84 were arrested in relation to drugs at the event.
A similarly tragic scenario befell 17-year-old Gemma Thoms at the Perth Big Day Out festival in 2009, after she panicked at the sight of sniffer dogs and took all the drugs in her possession, later overdosing and dying.
Future Music have outlined a long list detailing the planning that went into the event, including meeting with a number of local stakeholders, government, police, and health professionals. Future Music say that together with key authorities and stakeholders they developed several strategies including operational plans addressing patron safety and management, local amenity, traffic management, security and emergency medical procedures.
The venue was equipped with an Event Operations Centre, which was in constant communication with the relevant authorities and stakeholders.
The organisers had extensive medical facilities on site, including 2 certified doctors, 14 paramedics, 10 nurses, 7 ambulances, and 12 roaming paramedics. In addition, water dispensers were set up at all medical tents and free water was provided at front of stage barriers. Misting fans were also available around the festival grounds to cool down patrons.
Details of refunds will be announced within one week. Ticket buyers are urged to logon to www.futuremusicfestival.asia for refund details.
