An event organised by Manchester dance company The Warehouse Project has ended tragically, with five attendees taken to hospital, and the death of one 30-year-old man from Gloucestershire. The event played host to performances from Armand Van Helden and Axwell.
Police were called to the Manchester Royal Infirmary after the death of the 30-year-old, whom police believe died as a result of ingesting pills from a “bad batch” of ecstasy. Police believe it was this same “bad batch” that caused the illness of five other revellers, who are currently receiving hospital treatment after attending the event at Trafford Wharf Road.
Detective Inspector Aaron Duggan said “It is possible that there may be a particularly bad batch of drugs out there in the community and that is a concern to us. If you attended The Warehouse Project last night and are feeling unwell, I would ask you to go to hospital for a check up as soon as possible.”
Mirroring comments made by NSW Police after a punter died at Sydney’s Defqon.1 dance festival, Chief Superintendent Mark Roberts of Greater Manchester Police said “If people buy drugs in these circumstances, you really don’t know what you’re getting and it could be fatal the first time you take it. I don’t think it’s worth the gamble and people need to be aware of the dangers.”
The Warehouse Project have released a statement about the recent tragedy, saying “Everyone at The Warehouse Project are devastated about the news and our condolences are with his family. We are assisting the police with their ongoing inquiries surrounding the circumstances of the man’s death.”
The organisers stressed their zero tolerance drug policy, saying “The Warehouse Project operates a zero tolerance policy with regards to drugs, however if you have taken something and start to feel unwell please tell a member of staff.”
It’s believed the five people who fell ill are friends of the man who died and one woman not connected with the group. Chief Superintendent Roberts said “We have seen different drugs from different suppliers. One has sadly led to the death of someone — someone else has been seriously ill — so there is a really chance that if you take these drugs, you could become very ill or die.”
The news comes after NSW Police praised the conduct of festival-goers at the Sydney Listen Out event, despite charging 95 of the attendees with mostly drug-related offences.
(Via BBC News)
