Man dies after suspected drug overdose at Beyond the Valley festival
A 20-year-old man who was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition from a music festival south-east of Melbourne several days ago has died of a suspected drug overdose.
The young man, from Mansfield, was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition from the Beyond the Valley festival on Saturday and died on Tuesday morning.
The festival, which ends on Tuesday, is being held in Lardner, more than 100 kilometres south-east of Melbourne.
"The circumstances surrounding [the man's] death are yet to be determined, however it is not being treated as suspicious," a police spokeswoman said.
Police said they could not release information about the suspected cause of death as the matter was before the Coroner.
It comes after a man was left fighting for his life after taking a drug at the same festival.
That man, also aged in his 20s, was flown to the same hospital in a critical condition at 7am on New Year’s Eve. He is now listed as stable and has been discharged from hospital.
Victoria Police have been at the festival with sniffer dogs since Friday, searching all festival-goers for illegal substances on entry.
The death prompted organisers of the Falls Festivals across Australia, including in Lorne, to send text messages to punters alerting them of “extremely dangerous” orange pills in circulation.
Ambulance Victoria responded to 1000 emergencies during New Year's Eve celebrations with calls including a life-threatening injury at the Lorne Falls Festival.
The injured man, who was also aged in his 20s, was airlifted in a critical condition after falling and hitting his head.
He was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital just before 10pm, where he was in a serious condition on Tuesday morning.
More to come
With AAP