Tomorrowland festival-goers deaths were drugs related
The Judicial Authorities have confirmed that the deaths of two young women that had attended the Tomorrowland dance music festival in July were drugs related. At the start of last month the Antwerp Judicial Authorities launched an investigation into the deaths of the two female festival-goers. Both the woman had become ill after having taken drugs and were admitted to hospital where they died a few days later.
In a statement the Judicial Authorities confirm that "Clear traces of XTC were found” in blood and urine samples taken from the two women”. The cause of their deaths was water poisoning caused by XTC use in combination with a various environmental factors.
"By taking XTC a hormone was created in the women’s bodies that caused them to retain a lot of water in their bodies. The combination of the drugs, sweating, the warm temperatures and possibly dancing meant that the two women drunk too much water. It was this so-called water intoxication that led to their deaths”.
The Judicial Authorities launched an investigation into the cause of death of the two women in early August.
The first victim, a 33 year-old woman from the Czech Republic visited the festival during its first weekend (22 to 22 July). She became unwell in a tent on the festival ground in Boom (Antwerp province) and was taken to hospital in near-by Reet before being transferred to Antwerp University Hospital where she died on 27 July.
The second victim was a 26-year-old Indian woman that visited the festival during its second weekend (27 to 29 July). She suffered cardiac arrest on the festival ground and died in hospital on 31 July.
The Antwerp Judicial authorities told journalists that "We are now going to get around the table with all the various parties in order to optimalise the exchange of information concerning such complex cases with the ultimate of carrying out a more thorough investigation into those that are supplying drugs”.