Two French people in critical condition and a German woman in an induced coma after snorting hyoscine

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The drug that caused a mass overdose among nine backpackers who were taken to hospital in Perth has been identified as a common prescription drug called hyoscine, which is used to treat travel sickness.

The group of backpackers, aged 21 to 25, thought they were snorting cocaine on Tuesday night but suffered violent reactions, with three put in intensive care in induced comas.

Nine backpackers in hospital after suspected mass drug overdose in Perth Read more

The group reportedly included young people from France, Germany, Italy and Morocco.

Two people, both French, remained in a critical condition on Thursday, while a German woman was still in an induced coma in a stable condition. The rest have been released from hospital.

The people who took the drugs – seven men and two women – were rushed to three Perth hospitals about midnight on Tuesday after a triple-zero call was made from a house in Colombo Street, Victoria Park.

WA police said emergency services staff found “numerous people” in the house who were either unconscious or semi-unconscious.

One of the injured backpackers told the West Australian the ordeal was “terrifying” and said he was “trying to scream for help” but his mouth wouldn’t move.

A Royal Perth hospital emergency doctor, David McCutcheon, said the group might have died but for the fact that two flatmates who didn’t take the drug were able to call 000, the paper reported.

“It was very lucky there was someone on scene who could call an ambulance, otherwise their lives would have been put in danger,” he said.