Revellers die from drugs at festival

TWO revellers died and another is in a critical condition following a music festival at the weekend.

They were among 15 people to attend hospital during one night of the Mutiny Festival in Portsmouth.

An 18-year-old woman, named locally as Georgia Jones, and a 20-year-old man became ill on Saturday, before organisers issued a warning over a “high strength or bad batch” of drugs.

The second day of the festival, which was to be headlined by Craig David, was cancelled as a “safety precaution”.

A spokeswoman for Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, where the pair died, said it is believed they were admitted after falling ill from the effects of drugs.

Another person remains in a critical condition.

A further 12 concertgoers attended the hospital on Saturday after being at the festival, but they were “not necessarily all drugsrelated”, the spokeswoman added.

The deaths are being treated as separate incidents and are not believed to be suspicious, but Hampshire Constabulary are investigating.

Festival organisers warned at around 9.30pm on Saturday they were “aware of a dangerous highstrength or bad-batch substance on site”, and that no drugs should be taken.

A statement from the festival said: “Mutiny Festivals are devastated to hear of the tragic loss of life from its festival family today.”

Craig David put a message on social media saying: “My heart goes out to the family and friends of the two young people who lost their lives.”