More than 20 people hospitalised after horror weekend at music festivals

Extreme heat and illegal party drugs have seen more than 20 people hospitalised across New South Wales and Victoria after a horror weekend of music festivals.

Seven people are currently being treated this morning for drug-related illnesses at Westmead Hospital in Sydney’s west this morning after the “Rolling Loud” hip hop festival was held yesterday.

Just a day earlier, at the “Hardcore Till I Die” electronic music festival, ten people were treated for similar illnesses.

In Victoria, one woman in her 20s remains in a critical condition at Austin hospital in Melbourne following a suspected drug overdose at the “Rainbow Serpent” music festival in Lexton.

A total of seven people were taken to hospital suffering from suspected drug overdoses after attending the festival in central Victoria.

In total 23 revellers were hosptialised across the country.

Police have also been cracking down on the availability of party drugs at these festivals, charging eight people with drug supply offences following operations over the weekend.

A further 47 people were issued with drug criminal infringement notices.

One 17-year-old boy from Castle Hill in Sydney was searched by police and was found to be carrying 579 capsules and $2075 in cash.

Another, a 25-year-old man from Mount Pritchard, was charged with supplying a prohibited drug after police found 100 MDMA tablets and a knife on his person.

A range of drugs were seized across a number of festivals, including party drug GHB, MDMA and Ketamine.

The crackdown comes after a wave of recent drug deaths at Sydney music festivals.

Diana Nguyen, Joseph Pham, Callum Brosnan, Joshua Tam and Alexandra Ross-King all died after taking drugs at NSW music festivals.

All were aged between 19 and 23.

One of the five youths who died at a NSW music festival in recent months took six to nine MDMA pills which were 77 per cent pure. Another took just one.

A Coronial Inquest is currently underway, charged with investigating the spate of drug overdose deaths.