Seven people are fighting for their lives in induced comas and after overdosing on illegal drugs at a dance music festival in Melbourne.
The mass overdose at the Hardmission Festival on Flemington Racecourse happened over four hours on Saturday.
The victims, who are thought to have taken the party drug ecstasy, were rushed to hospitals including Royal Melbourne, St Vincent’s, Footscray, Sunshine and The Austin.
‘There were a lot of patients overdosing on MDMA (ecstasy), quite a number of them were critically unwell,’ Danny Hill of the Victorian Ambulance union told the Herald Sun.
‘Seven of the patients had to be placed into an induced coma by our Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance paramedics and a breathing tube placed into their throat, so they were fully sedated.’
Seven people are fighting for their lives in induced comas and after overdosing on illegal drugs at a dance music festival in Melbourne (pictured)
Video footage from the festival put on social media showed a person holding up a mobile phone with the word ‘Caps?’ written on the screen (pictured)
Paramedics from other parts of the city were called in at around 10.30pm to help with what Mr Hill called a ‘dire’ situation.
Video footage from the festival put on social media showed a person holding up a mobile phone with the word ‘Caps?’ written on the screen.
This is a word sometimes used by people looking to buy illegal drugs which come in capsules.
As temperatures soared to 32 degrees, revellers danced shirtless, with some writing on social media that it was too hot.
The mass overdose at the Hardmission Festival (pictured) on Flemington Racecourse happened over four hours on Saturday
Mr Hill said people going to such events need to find out about the dangers of taking illegal drugs such as ecstasy.
‘I think this highlights the dangers of some of the drugs that are passed around at rave parties and why there needs to be mechanisms to try and protect against them – it raises the issue of pill testing and pill checking.’
He said drugs sold at rave are sometimes laced with other chemicals and can have very dangerous side effects.
Mr Hill said the drug people get can ‘often be a lot different from what they think they have bought’.
Volunteers from alcohol and drugs harm reduction DanceWize were at the Hardmission Festival.
On Friday, the organisers posted on social media that ‘Hardmission is committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all our attendees.
‘As part of our dedication to harm minimisation, we are proud to announce the presence of DanceWize at the event.
‘Your wellbeing is our priority. If you or someone you know needs assistance or support during the event, DanceWize will be on-site, ready to provide information, guidance and help with any harm reduction concerns.’
Daily Mail has contaced Hardmission and DanceWize for comment.