7 Vietnamese dead, 5 in coma after taking drugs at festival

HANOI: Seven Vietnamese have died and five are in a coma after taking drugs at an electronic dance music festival here on Sunday, officials said, as authorities scrambled to trace the substance.

The victims, all Vietnamese, tested positive for an unspecified drug, prompting officials to ban all EDM festivals in the capital in the wake of the fatal incident, which has shocked the conservative city.

“Police investigators are trying to figure out what type of drug that was,” Hanoi police deputy director Nguyen Van Vien said yesterday.

Officials said the dead were all in their 20s, while the five people in a coma are between 18 and 30.

The sick are being treated in intensive care at two hospitals here.

If the deaths are confirmed as drug-related, it could be one of the worst mass deaths at a music festival linked to narcotics in recent memory anywhere in the world.

Sunday night’s “Trip To The Moon” festival was hosted by Vietnam Electronic Weekend in Hanoi’s upscale West Lake, a neighbourhood popular among expats, teachers and youth for its nightlife and club scene.

Hundreds joined the event which sprawled across three stages and included EDM big hitters Yellow Claw and Headhunterz on the line-up, according to the online flyer for the event.

Investigators are trying to confirm who brought the drugs into the venue and said all events of its kind would be banned in the capital pending the probe.

“The incident (on Sunday)... was very painful. It was a great loss,” said Hanoi government’s propaganda department deputy head Tran Xuan Ha said.

It was the third Vietnam Electronic Weekend festival held in the country and was slated to be the biggest yet, according to state media.

On Saturday, two Australians died of suspected drug overdoses at an electronic music festival in Sydney, according to national broadcaster ABC.