New York City's Electric Zoo music festival's third and final day got canceled after two of its attendees died while four other got hospitalized due to alleged drug abuse, CNN reported Sunday.
The two Electric Zoo partygoers were believed to have died due to abuse of MDMA, either in Ecstasy pill form of "pure" powder form called "molly." Four other partygoers are now hospitalized and are said to be critically ill, New York Police Department Spokesman Sgt. Lee Jones said.
The city was prompted to cancel the Electric Zoo festival due to the deaths and illnesses that happened within the first two days, Jones added.
The festival, which took place on Randall's island in the East River, was said to feature, on its last day, high-profile performances from Avicii, Diplo, and David Guetta.
Police identified the two partygoers as Jeffrey Russ of Rochester, 23, and Olivia Rotondo of Providence, Rhode Island, 20. Police said that Russ was declared dead around 3:20 a.m., on Saturday at Harlem hospital while Rotondo was pronounced dead at 8:45 p.m., just few minutes she was taken to Metropolitan Hospital.
Spokeswoman for the City Medical Examiner's Office Ellen Borakove said that one of the victims is scheduled for autopsy, adding that results will be made available Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a statement was posted on the event's homepage of the festival saying, "The founders of Electric Zoo send our deepest condolences to the families of the two people who passed away this weekend. Because there is nothing more important to us than our patrons, we have decided in consultation with the New York City Parks Department that there will be no show today."
The Electro Zoo music festival is held over Labor Day holiday weekend since 2009. The three-day event is being attended by large crowds who want to hear their favorite artists perform on multiple stages.
Reaction statement posted on different social media sites vary from sympathetic to uncaring since the general admission for the festival costs $179 per day.
Event organizers are now working on a refund process, which will be posted on the event's webpage soon.
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