Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Download festival: Man dies after ‘becoming unwell’ at event

The death came hours after a ‘medical incident’ at the festival

Thomas Kingsley
Monday 13 June 2022 15:54 BST
Comments
Revelers at Download Festival in 2021
Revelers at Download Festival in 2021 (PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

A man has died after a medical incident at Download Festival on Saturday, police have confirmed.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said the man became unwell at the event in Donington and was taken to the Derby Royal Infirmary where he died.

The man, who is yet to be named was taken ill shortly before 9pm on Saturday following the Deftones performance and just before rock band Iron Maiden took to the stage at the annual festival.

Emergency services attended to him while the headline show got underway before he was taken from the arena. Eyewitnesses at the scene gave an account of the incident, which occurred while thousands of fans began singing and jumping along to the main act.

The festival attracts over 80,000 rock fans
The festival attracts over 80,000 rock fans (PA)

“It happened just before Iron Maiden came on and noticed people were shouting and then paramedics were going back and forth to help whoever it was,” one eyewitness told LeicestershireLive.

“It was during the first song that they were taken away. I don’t think many people realised what was happening at first.”

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: “We can confirm the death of a man who had been attending the Download Festival in Castle Donington at the weekend.”

They added: “The man became unwell at the festival on Saturday evening (11 June) and was taken to the Derby Royal Infirmary where he sadly died.

The death is being treated as ‘unexplained,’ Leicestershire police has said
The death is being treated as ‘unexplained,’ Leicestershire police has said (Getty Images)

“The death is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries remain ongoing.”

The man’s death came hours after East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance were dispatched to the festival to reports of a medical emergency involving another festival-goer. Reports suggest this medical incident was on the festival campsites.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in