Ecstasy cited in death of Paradiso festival attendee

The June 28 death of a 22-year-old Portland, Oregon, man who had attended the Paradiso Festival in Central Washington has been ruled an accident related to the illegal drug ecstasy. Beau B. Brooks died the morning after the two-day festival, held at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington. He died from complications of acute methylendioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) poisoning, said Wayne Harris, the Chelan County Coroner. MDMA is a stimulant and psychedelic drug, and it raises body temperature, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. A second man died after becoming ill at the outdoor electronic dance music showcase. Vivek Pandher, 22, died July 4 at Vancouver General Hospital in British Columbia, the British Columbia Coroners Service said. Many who were treated after attending the festival suffered from drug intoxication or heat exhaustion. The temperature reached 107 degrees on June 27, the second day. Brooks was one of 53 concertgoers brought for emergency room care at Quincy Valley Medical Center over the course of the weekend. He died after being transferred to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee.