The deaths of two teenage girls at the HARD Summer Music Festival have local authorities asking many questions as to what they can do to reduce the amount of drug-related problems at raves in the area. The two women, aged 18 and 19, were found unresponsive on Saturday, just minutes apart, at the the Fairplex in Pomona, CA. They both later passed away at a nearby hospital.

A statement made by Renee Hernandez, a Fairplex spokeswomen, says, “We offer our condolences to the family of these young women, and the Fairplex takes every measure to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience at our events.”  

Unfortunately, events like these are no new news to LA authorities or for those in the rave scene generally, as a Los Angeles Times investigation in 2013 found “that at least 14 people who attended raves run by two major Los Angeles-based rave organizers, Insomniac Inc. and Go Ventures Inc., died from overdoses or in drug-related incidents since 2006.” Since the report was issued, five more have succumbed to drug-related deaths at events.

Officials are still working to notify the families of the women and have not released their identities to the public. Autopsies will be done in the following days to confirm the apparent drug-related overdoses.