Four individuals died after attending Pinkfish Countdown 2024 in Selangor, Malaysia. Local authorities suspect that all of them had taken ecstasy.
Selangor, Malaysia festival Pinkfish Countdown is under the public magnifying glass following the deaths of four attendees.
Two men and two women between the ages of 20-40 passed away after attending the EDM event on December 31. According to a statement from Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan, all are suspected to have taken ecstasy, but toxicology reports are needed to confirm the cause of death. Pinkfish Countdown’s organizers have stated that the fatalities occurred offsite, per to the Royal Malaysian Police.
Three individuals were also hospitalized with symptoms the police said were consistent with the four who died. They did not say what the symptoms were but noted that all seven incidents were otherwise unrelated. Police are investigating to determine whether drug lacing or any other foul play was a factor.
Following Pinkfish Countdown, social media was ablaze with videos of attendees collapsing at the event. One such post by TikTok user CineMagicMY has garnered 2.6 million views at the time of writing.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident following Pinkfish Countdown 2024 which resulted in the loss of four lives,” reads a statement from the festival organizers. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the four individuals during this difficult time.”
“While we await the outcome of the full investigations into this incident, we wish to reassure the public that every precaution has been taken to ensure the safety of our events, including Pinkfish Countdown 2024,” the statement continues. “These measures include, among others, the presence of more than 100 police officers and the deployment of trained security personnel and K9 units at all entrance points.”
Pinkfish Countdown billed international acts like Sara Landry and Showtek as well as locals like Hades, Zerofloat, and Mr Yang for a gathering attended by more than 18,000.
