One dead, 32 drug drivers at Vic festival

A woman has died and 32 people were caught drug driving at the Earthcore music festival in central Victoria.

Police patrol a music festival in Sydney

A woman has died and 32 people were caught drug driving at the Earthcore music festival in Victoria. (AAP)

A woman has died, 32 people were caught drug driving and two people were found with weapons at a dance festival in central Victoria, police say.

A 43-year-old woman from Bayswater died at Pyalong on Saturday and her death is not being treated as suspicious, police confirm.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

The woman may have had a pre-existing medical condition, Earthcore music festival organisers say.

A medical team reached the woman within two minutes but was unable to revive her, according to a statement posted to the Earthcore Facebook page on Monday.

Festival organisers "are aware of an existing medical condition and are waiting for the coroner's inquest."

"We offered a counselling service on site to all staff and patrons at the time of the incident," the statement reads.

"This is truly heart breaking news and we will be releasing a formal statement once we have all the facts in place."

Police ran operations inside and outside the Earthcore festival grounds from November 24-28, including sniffer dogs.

During the five-day festival, 19 drug diversion notices were issued, 28 people were cautioned for cannabis and four people were interviewed for possessing a drug of dependence.

Police also interviewed two people for possession of a weapon and 32 were caught drug driving.

"While the presence of drugs is still concerning, police were pleased with the general behaviour of the crowd," police said in a statement.

Media reports of a man being voluntarily waterboarded - a form of torture - at the festival have not been reported to police, a spokesman told AAP.


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