A 19-year-old man is dead and three others are critically ill after suspected drug overdoses at a dance party in Sydney.

Police said they had been attending the “Knockout Games of Destiny” dance party at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday night.

The teenager died in Concord Hospital early on Sunday while two women, aged 19 and 25, and a man were in critical but stable conditions at Westmead Hospital.

More than 18,000 people attended the party. Police officers at the event issued 69 banning notices and conducted more than 200 searches, with 62 people found in possession of drugs.

Police charged several people, including a 25-year-old man who was allegedly found with 145 MDMA capsules in his possession.

The south west metropolitan region commander, assistant commissioner Peter Thurtell, said police would not let up on trying to stop drug use at dance parties.

“Police and emergency services continue to send warning messages about illegal drugs, and many festival-goers are choosing to ignore them,” Thurtell said.

“We will continue to have a strong presence at festivals and dance parties with the wellbeing and safety of attendees our number one priority”.

Earlier this year, two people died after overdosing at Sydney music festival Defqon.1, prompting the creation of an expert panel to advise the New South Wales government on drug-related deaths at festivals.

The premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said she was beside herself that young people were not getting the message.

“Of course we want young people to have fun but don’t take an illegal substance, it can kill you,” Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.

“That’s why we took the measure to increase penalties for people supplying these illegal substances to a maximum of 20 years.”

Asked if it was time to reconsider the government’s position on pill testing, Berejiklian said no.

“Unfortunately, we know that pill testing won’t work because it’ll give people a green light to taking substances, which in the end could still kill them,” she said.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner on the teenager’s death.