Man dies at Sydney’s Defqon.1, nine hospitalised

A man died at EDM festival Defqon.1, held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith in the city’s inner west. Initial reports claimed that another nine attendees were hospitalised.

The 26-year-old man from Albury was found unconscious in a tent just after 11.30pm on Saturday, the festival’s second night. Paramedics tried to revive him but he died in Nepean Hospital. Police are preparing a report for the coroner and investigating if his death was drug-related.

The man’s death comes two years after 22-year-old Victorian man James Munro took three bad pills at Defqon and overdosed, while over 80 ravers were arrested for drug offences.

Defqon.1, an offshoot of the Netherlands festival which drew 18,000 in 2013, has a strict no-drugs policy. It states on its website, "Our highest priority during is to create a memorable and above all safe Defqon.1 experience for everyone who comes to party with us.

“We want to make you aware that the use of illicit substances carries a range of health risks including the possibility of death, and is strictly forbidden at this event."

Nevertheless, a police operation at this year’s event saw 60 arrests, 46 of these drug-related. Four face charges on drugs supply while two were caught with 46 pills thought to be MDMA. Other charges involved public order and trespass.