Young woman died after taking MDMA at festival

A “BEAUTIFUL and intelligent” young woman died after taking MDMA at a music festival in a tragic accident, an inquest heard.

Amy Vigus, 20, inset, died after ingesting a pill containing the drug, also known as ecstasy, at the Elrow Town festival in London’s Olympic Park.

Her friends said she swallowed an “MD ball” which she had bought from a man at the event and collapsed hours later, Essex Coroner’s Court heard.

She made it back to her family home in Colchester, Essex, where her parents tried to resuscitate her before she was taken to hospital and died on August 21.

A post-mortem examination found she died from a hypoxic brain injury caused by the toxic effects of MDMA, the inquest heard.

Coroner Caroline BeasleyMurray recorded that Miss Vigus, inset, died as the result of an accident. “What a tragic accident,” she said. “She went off in probably an excellent mood with her friends for a happy day at the festival and it ended like that.” The hearing was packed with Miss Vigus’s relatives and friends, including her parents, sister and boyfriend. Many of them wept as parts of a family tribute statement were read out. It described Miss Vigus as “always up for a challenge” and someone who “lived life to the full” and had a passion for helping others, including a charity skydive. “Amy was beautiful, intelligent, honest, thoughtful and determined,” it added. “A little whirlwind that would light up any room she walked into.” Her parents said that their daughter had been out partying in London when “in a moment of madness” she took the party drug. Hundreds of thousands of people have now watched the fourminute clip which her family has released in an effort to highlight the dangers of party drugs.