Download event is shocked by death of second person

A SECOND person died at this year’s Download Festival, police have confirmed.

The news comes after the Burton Mail reported on Tuesday that a man had died after falling unwell moments before Iron Maiden’s headline set on Saturday night.

Police said officers were alerted to the plight of the second man at 12.48pm on Saturday.

It was thought the festival-goer had suffered a cardiac arrest.

The man, who has not been identified, was given emergency treatment at the scene before being transferred to an on-site medical centre. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

The annual rock music festival took place over the weekend, from June 10 to 12, at Castle Donington. Festival organisers have been contacted for a comment.

A police spokesman said: “The cause of the death of the man is currently being treated as unexplained.

“The cause of death is not believed to be suspicious at this time.”

Inquiries into the man’s death are ongoing and a file is being prepared for the coroner.

As previously reported, a man died after becoming unwell at the festival shortly before 9pm on Saturday, following the Deftones’ performance and moments before rock legends Iron Maiden took to the stage. He was transferred to Derby Royal Infirmary, but died the same day.

Donington was the scene of a double tragedy in 1988, when the festival was known as Monsters of Rock.

With the ground wet and a record crowd of 107,000 at the festival, a surge of bodies during a Guns N’ Roses set caused the death of two fans.

The following year, the festival was cancelled after an inquest found the deaths were due to a “crowd collapse” of some 50 fans at the front of the stage.