S'porean dies at Jakarta music festival: Report

zothman@sph.com.sg

A Singaporean died at a music festival in Jakarta on Sunday in what is believed to be a drug-related incident.

The Jakarta Globe said the 26-year-old was with two Indonesian teenagers who also died. He collapsed at the event at Ancol, a beach resort in the northern part of the Indonesian capital.

The trio died not long after being rushed to Mitra Kemayoran Hospital in central Jakarta, the newspaper quoted police sources as saying.

Jakarta police spokesman Rikwanto told the Indonesian media on Sunday that the bodies had been taken to a hospital in central Jakarta for an autopsy.

Witnesses also told the police that the victims had taken drugs before attending A State of Trance, which featured a line-up of international DJs including Armin van Buuren and Paul van Dyk, from Saturday through Sunday, reported the Jakarta Globe.

The police did not say what kind of drugs the three had taken, but an Indonesian music industry insider told The New Paper that Ecstasy pills are common at such parties.

The insider, who declined to be named, said: "In Jakarta, it's an open secret that people take Ecstasy in clubs and music festivals because it is not too expensive."

One pill can cost 400,000 rupiah (S$45) or more, he said.

Indonesian media are also speculating that Ecstasy pills were the cause behind the deaths.

OVERDOSE

An overdose of Ecstasy can lead to serotonin syndrome, a potentially fatal reaction to the drugs, but the more frequent causes of death among users include drinking too much water or spikes in body temperature, reported the Jakarta Globe.

Indonesian police also reportedly arrested one person for drug possession at the festival but it is unclear if that was connected to the three deaths.

Investigations are ongoing, they said.