Transmission music festival: Bank worker, 26, dies from suspected drug overdose

A young bank worker has died, and 12 others have been rushed to hospital after suffering suspected drug overdoses at a electronic music festival.

Keiran Ngo, 26, was enjoying the Transmission music festival, a large indoor trance event held at the Sydney Showground, on Saturday when he began to feel sick.

He took himself to Bankstown Hospital at about 1.30am on Sunday morning, where he tragically died just a few hours later.

Police were called to Bankstown Hospital around 3 am to investigate the circumstances of Mr Ngo’s death. 

It is not known what substance Mr Ngo ingested, but police are probing whether his death is related to the seizure of 400 MDMA tablets allegedly found on festival goers.

Police have arrested and charged six men aged between 19 and 33 with drug supply offences after they were caught with MDMA.

Kieran Ngo, 26, (pictured with his girlfriend Monica Nguyen) tragically died from a suspected drug overdose over the weekend

A 23-year-old Oran Park man was allegedly in possession of 253 MDMA tablets, while a 21-year-old Fairfield West man was allegedly found with 149 MDMA tablets.

As a high-risk event under the Music Festivals Act 2019, the festival was attended by police, security officers, paramedics and other medical professionals.

The 23-year-old was refused bail after appearing at Parramatta Court on Sunday, while the 21-year-old was granted strict conditional bail to appear at Burwood Local Court on Thursday.

The other four men were issued Court Attendance Notices for supplying a prohibited drug and are due to appear in court at a later date.

Mr Ngo, who was a senior lending associate at the Commonwealth Bank, was one of the dozens of attendees from the festival who sought medical treatment.

More than 130 people were treated by medics at the venue, with many of the complaints suspected to relate to drug use and heat exhaustion.

Of those, 12 people were rushed to hospital by paramedics, including seven patients who were intubated on arrival.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Ngo had been employed at the bank for six years after studying business and IT at Sydney’s University of Technology.

‘I have over six years of experience in the financial services industry across multiple roles and business areas. Subject matter expert for retail banking and home buying for the Southwest and Bankstown Area,’ Mr Ngo wrote on his profile.

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Twelve other revellers who attended the large indoor trance event (pictured) have been hospitalised

Investigations into the incident are underway and a report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner.