TWO PEOPLE HAVE died and another person is critical after falling ill at a dance music festival in Hampshire.

An 18-year-old woman and 20-year-old man fell ill at the Mutiny Festival in Portsmouth at separate times yesterday evening.

They were both taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth where they later died.

In a statement Hampshire Constabulary said the two incidents are being treated as separate at this stage and enquiries are being made into the circumstances of what happened.

“Next-of-kin for both the woman and the man have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.”

Two others remain in hospital and 15 people also needed treatment. A Queen Alexandra Hospital spokesman told BBC News that some of the people treated presented with “drug-related” symptoms.

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Organisers have cancelled today’s event “as a safety precaution”. Mutiny Festivals has released a statement saying:

The safety of our amazing customers has always been paramount to us and so to keep everyone safe and in respect to those who have passed, we have taken the decision not to open today. As you can imagine, this decision was not taken lightly and was taken with the support of the local statutory authorities who we continue to work with.

“Enquiries are being made into the circumstances of what has happened, but we must reiterate our advice to all our customers to responsibly dispose of any substances.”