A man has died at Rainbow Serpent 2017.
Paramedics and police attended the scene late on Saturday night after the man went into cardiac arrest. The death is not being treated as suspicious.
Festival director, Tim Harvey, expressed sympathy for the family. “First and foremost, we want to forward our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. The thoughts of all our staff and volunteers are with them during this extremely difficult time. Rainbow Serpent considers the safety of patrons a priority and we will continue to cooperate with authorities to determine exactly what happened in this situation.”
The event’s emergency response coordinator, Matthew Wood, says Ambulance Victoria maintain a constant presence on site alongside other health care professionals. “We work together with emergency services to ensure we can provide as safe an event environment as possible,” said Mr. Wood, “and it’s now important we give them the opportunity to conduct their investigation before offering further comment.”
The festival has offered counseling to emergency responders and patrons who may have witnessed the event.
