July 15th 2024.
21 other individuals, all around the same age as the unfortunate 17-year-old girl who passed away, were also rushed to the hospital after overdosing on drugs at the same music festival. The event, a drum and bass festival in Margate, Kent on June 29, quickly turned into a major incident as more details emerged from the police investigation.
The tragedy began when 17-year-old Emily Stokes lost her life after a suspected MDMA overdose at the Dreamland festival. Another teenager is currently in a medically induced coma, among dozens of others under the age of 18 who were also taken to the hospital after the event. This prompted the police to declare a major incident and launch an investigation. In response, they requested five interim measures, including the cancellation of all future drum and bass events at Dreamland, which were approved by Thanet council members on July 9.
Further information about the full scale of the events has been revealed in an application from the police to the council to review Dreamland's license. The application stated that a total of 21 patients were admitted to the hospital with similar symptoms of a drug overdose, all of whom had attended the Dreamland festival. It also confirmed that Emily Stokes had tragically passed away at the festival.
The events leading up to the major incident began in the early afternoon when police became aware of several people being removed from the venue due to intoxication, suspected to be drug-related. Three individuals had already been taken to the hospital at this point. Later in the day, a 17-year-old male was found unwell and exhibiting signs of drug use. First aid was administered and an ambulance was called. Shortly after, police received a call from the NHS informing them of Emily's passing.
The festival, which had sold around 6,300 advance tickets and 700 on the door, continued despite the tragic events. The police made a difficult decision to keep the event going, in order to minimize the risk towards the young attendees and to assist in identifying and supporting any further casualties. By 7pm, a major incident was declared as the number of people taken to the hospital for drug-related issues rose to 11, all of whom were under the age of 18, with the youngest being only 15.
The police review application explained that closing the festival and holding it as a crime scene could have potentially caused a large-scale public order incident. Therefore, they decided to allow the event to continue in order to mitigate any further risks towards the already vulnerable children in attendance. It was a challenging decision, but one that was made in the best interest of the young attendees.
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