Tragedy has struck at Victoria’s Rainbow Serpent Music & Arts Festival overnight, with a reveller dying soon after 10pm, on Saturday, January 28th.
Ambulances were called to the dance festival at approximately 9pm last night after the man went into cardiac arrest. Despite being tended to by paramedics, the man died at approximately 10pm. The death isn’t being treated by police as suspicious.
Organisers of the Rainbow Serpent Festival today issued a statement in regards to the deceased patron.
“First and foremost, we want to forward our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. The thoughts of all our staff and volunteers are with them during this extremely difficult time,” stated Tim Harvey, festival organiser.
“Rainbow Serpent considers the safety of patrons a priority and we will continue to cooperate with authorities to determine exactly what happened in this situation.”
Matthew Wood, the event’s emergency response coordinator asked that “At this time we also appeal to media to avoid speculation and respect the family’s privacy while the authorities conclude their work.”
The festival has offered counselling to patrons who witnesses or those affected by the event.
