The Pitch Music & Arts Festival in Australia was cancelled on its final day due to scorching temperatures, bushfire warnings, and a suspected drug overdose that resulted in the death of a 23-year-old man. The deceased, identified as Antony Maugeri, was found unresponsive and was airlifted to Alfred Hospital in Melbourne where he passed away later that day. He was believed to have suffered a drug overdose alongside two other men in their 30s and 40s, who were taken to hospital and remain in stable condition.
Following the news of Maugeri’s death, Pitch released a statement expressing their deep sadness, offering condolences to his family and friends, and emphasizing that community had been integral to the event for the past seven years. However, attendees are questioning why such dangerous conditions weren’t noticed earlier. Jonathan Seagar, who went to the festival, claims the organizers “failed to communicate” with those in attendance. Simon Eid, a spokesman for Maugeri’s family, questioned the festival going ahead in conditions that endangered lives.
The Pitch Music & Arts Festival was cancelled as a total fire ban was enacted for the state of Victoria due to “extreme weather” including bushfire threats, high temperatures, little water, and scarce cooling facilities in the camping area. After consulting with the Country Fire Authority and the local authorities, Pitch resumed its music programming from 6:00 PM on Saturday when it was determined there were no active fires in the region, water and cooling facilities were available, and food and water were plentiful. However, a second total fire ban in the area resulted in the cancellation of the final day.
Maugeri’s death has led to calls for on-site drug testing at music festivals. Party spokesperson Aiv Puglielli has criticized the Labour government for stalling, putting the lives of young Victorians at risk. He stated, “Even with pure MDMA, we’ve seen how extreme heat can deal a deadly blow. So with untested drugs circulating, this was truly a disaster waiting to happen.”
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