Earlier this week, two local men and two local women, aged between 20 and 40, died at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre after attending the highly anticipated Pinkfish Festival at Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach on New Year’s Eve. According to reports, the deceased, along with three other victims, were hospitalised after losing consciousness at the event.
Blood samples were sent for toxicology analysis during the post-mortem process to determine the cause of death. The Selangor Police Contingent told reporters that the victims, including the deceased, were found to have taken ecstasy, also known as the party drug, before the concert.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan provided an update on the case of the four sudden deaths. It was reported that the police received six reports from Universiti Malaya Medical Centre and another from Kuala Lumpur Hospital, stating that the patients who attended the event exhibited similar symptoms. However, they had attended in separate groups.
He added that preliminary investigations revealed that those who were hospitalised that evening had consumed ecstasy pills. “In the three new cases discovered, two are currently being treated in the intensive care unit, while the third individual has been discharged from hospital. We will be calling more individuals to have their statements recorded, including the concert organiser and friends of all seven individuals,” he told the media.
The Selangor police also informed that they are still awaiting the full toxicology report to ascertain the cause of death of the four concertgoers. Meanwhile, in a statement released yesterday (Thursday, 2nd January), the Pinkfish Festival management said that they would fully cooperate with the authorities in their investigation.
They also clarified that every precaution had been taken to ensure everyone’s safety, including the presence of 100 police officers on site, the deployment of trained security, and K9 units at all entrance points. May the families of the deceased find closure from this tragic incident.
Sources: NST, MalayMail (1)(2), AstroAwani, Facebook
