The New South Wales Premier has vowed to do everything she can to shut down Defqon.1, after two people died in suspected overdoses at the popular Sydney music festival on Saturday night.

Police said a 23-year-old man from western Sydney and a 21-year-old woman from Victoria died in Nepean Hospital after collapsing at music festival in Penrith about 9:00pm.

Three more festival goers remain in a critical condition in hospital.

Ms Berejiklian described the deaths as “absolutely tragic” and vowed to ban the event.

“I never want to see this event held in Sydney or New South Wales ever again — we will do everything we can to shut this down,” she said.

“I understand there were some deaths in the past, but to have at least two on one night when every assurance was given to those attending that it was a safe event — clearly it wasn’t when so many people have succumbed.”

Ms Berejuklian denied cancelling the event would force it and others to go underground, and said pill-testing at music events was “not a solution”.”Anyone who advocates pill-testing is giving the green light to drugs.

There is no such thing as a safe drug and unfortunately when young people think there is, it has tragic consequences,” she said.

“I’m absolutely aghast at what’s occurred [and] I don’t want any family to have to go through the tragedy that some families are waking up to this morning — it’s just horrible to think about.”

Defqon.1 is an annual music festival playing mostly hardcore techno, house and trance music. It is has taken place since 2009 at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.

About 30,000 revellers attended this year’s event.

In 2015 Nigel Pauljevic, 26, was found unconscious in a tent at the festival and later died.

– Bellinda Kontominas

Read More: Defqon.1: NSW Premier Vows to Shut Down Festival after Suspected Overdose Deaths

Image by Michael Discenza from Unsplash