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SHAH ALAM: The four people who died, along with three others who survived, after using drugs at the Pinkfish Countdown concert fell unconscious shortly before they received treatment, says Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.
The Selangor police chief said the victims were given treatment by the first aid team at the concert before being sent to the hospital.
"The incidents where the victims fell unconscious occurred between 10.45pm and 3am.
"Investigations showed all of them consumed ecstasy pills at the concert," he told a press conference at the Selangor police headquarters on Friday (Jan 3).
Comm Hussein said some of the victims might have bought the drugs prior to going to the concert while some of them might have bought it there.
"We also believe there were individuals who sold the drug at the concert.
"The investigation revealed the ecstasy pills were sold at RM50 per pill or three pills for RM100.
"We are in the midst of identifying the drug pushers," he said.
Investigations also showed the concert organisers failed to ensure the safety of concert-goers, he said.
"They failed to prevent the sale and use of drugs during the concert," he added.
Moving forward, Comm Hussein said the police will impose stricter requirements before any permit for a concert is approved.
"For instance, the organisers must show that they are capable of preventing any drug distribution and use at the concert premises.
"We cannot simply allow concerts to be held if it is going to lead to a death of a participant or participants.
"Thus safety must always be a priority.
"We will look at concert approvals on a case by case basis with security control a main requirement," he said.
Comm Hussein said the police are also looking into whether the Pinkfish concert was at overcapacity.
"We discovered that 14,000 tickets were sold. With security and first aid teams on scene, we believe more than 14,000 people were there that night," he said.
The police will record the statements of the organisers, first aid team, security along with family members and friends of the victims, he said.
"Two people are still being treated at the intensive care unit while another has been discharged," he said.
It was reported that the four local individuals, who died after attending the Pinkfish concert in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya on New Year's Eve, are believed to have taken ecstasy.
Comm Hussein had said initial investigations revealed the victims attended the concert and were suspected of consuming ecstasy pills.
"We are still waiting for the toxicology reports to confirm the cause of death.
"Besides the four deceased victims, there are three others who showed the same symptoms as them.
"All seven of them did not go to the concert together but instead they went with the respective friends and families," he said.
"We have received six police reports lodged by Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
"We have opened four investigation papers to identify any criminal elements or poisoning," he said.
Comm Hussein said police have recorded the statement of six individuals to assist with the investigations.
"We will call up several others to record their statement including the concert organiser and the victims' friends," he said.
Comm Hussein urged those with information on the incident to contact Subang Jaya district police headquarters at 03-7862 7222 or any nearest police station.
