02.14 pm, Wednesday February 10 2010

Big Day teen dies of suspected overdose

19:43 AEST Mon Feb 2 2009
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Police are hunting the supplier of ecstasy to a 17-year-old girl who died of a suspected overdose after collapsing at the Big Day Out music festival.

The teenager died at a Perth hospital early on Monday after attending Sunday's event at Claremont Showgrounds.

Friends of the family told Fairfax Radio the teenager took three tablets after she saw police searching for drugs.

But police said on Monday the girl was dropped off at the showgrounds, which meant she would not have been subject to sniffer dog and police searches carried out at the Showgrounds train station.

A witness told Fairfax she saw the girl collapse near the amusement rides.

"One friend was with her almost trying to catch her as she fell down. She was holding her head and her eyes were rolling back and I think she (the friend) was saying something like 'Get up! Stand up'," the witness told Fairfax Radio.

Police said the girl died from a suspected drug overdose but would not elaborate further.

"I can't confirm what the cause of death is, that is a matter for the coroner to deal with in due course," Assistant Commissioner Dominic Staltari told journalists in Perth.

"Taking illegal drugs is dangerous, the clear message is, don't take (them)," he said.

Temperatures of up to 36 degrees may have affected people, the commissioner said.

"The weather conditions that we endured yesterday were difficult to say the least and it can have varying impacts on people," he said.

At the train station near the event, police made 59 arrests for possession of drugs, including four with intent to sell or supply.

They seized 129 tablets of MDMA or ecstasy, two grams of methylamphetamine, six grams of cannabis, 75 joints and 21 tablets of dexamphetamine.

Eighty-three liquor infringements were also issued.

Big Day Out organisers say they do not condone the use of drugs at the annual event, which it advertises as drug and alcohol free.

It was the first time in the festival's 17-year history that an incident like this has happened, they said on their website on Monday.

 
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