Five NSW festival drug deaths explained

An explanation of the recent deaths of five young people at Australian music festivals which will be examined by the NSW coroner.

FIVE YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE DIED OF SUSPECTED DRUG OVERDOSES AFTER ATTENDING NSW MUSIC FESTIVALS:

ALEX ROSS-KING

* Alex Ross-King, 19, died in hospital on January 12 after attending the FOMO festival at Parramatta Park.

* The Central Coast teenager's family have pleaded with the NSW government to introduce pill testing reigniting the debate over its effectiveness.

JOSHUA TAM

* Joshua Tam, 22, died in hospital on December 29 after attending the Lost Paradise music festival near Gosford.

* His family have helped set up a clothing label in the young rugby league player's memory with proceeds going towards drug education for young Australians.

CALLUM BROSNAN

* Callum Brosnan, 19, died after attending the dance music festival Knockout Games of Destiny on December 9.

* He was found at a train station near the festival at Sydney Olympic Park but later died in hospital.

JOSEPH PHAM

* Joseph Pham, 23, from western Sydney died in hospital from a suspected drug overdose on September 15 after the Defqon.1 festival.

* Weeks before his death he shared a Facebook post from a group called "Sniff Off" who advocate for no sniffer dogs, pill testing and drug legalisation.

DIANA NGUYEN

* Diana Nguyen, a 21-year-old from Melbourne, also died after Defqon.1 on September 15 from a suspected drug overdose.

* Ms Nguyen was engaged after her finance had proposed in Hawaii during her 21st birthday in April.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world