Photo: Electric Zoo / Facebook

Organiser's of Electric Zoo festival in New York were forced to cancel the Sunday (1 September 2013) of this year's event, after two people died in drgu-related deaths.

Four others were taken seriously ill at the festival, and the Randalls Island event was cancelled just hours before the third day of the event was scheduled to begin, after a decision taken by the mayor's office. Party drug MDMA has been blamed for the deaths.

"The Electric Zoo organizers have worked with city officials to reduce health risks at this event, but in view of these occurrences, the safest course is to cancel the remaining day of the event," says an official statement for the event, which this year boasted performances from the likes of David Guetta and Avicii.

The two who died were identified as 23-year-old Jeffrey Russ and 20-year-old Olivia Rotondo. Both were believed to have attended the event with student friends, as both were still in education.

A statement from organisers offered condolences to the family of the two, and supported the decision to cancel the event, stating that the safety of their patrons was of primary importance.

"The founders of Electric Zoo send our deepest condolences to the families of the two people who passed away this weekend," the statement stated. "Because there is nothing more important to us than our patrons, we have decided in consultation with the New York City parks department that there will be no show today."

The also announced there would be full refunds for ticket holders for the Sunday of the festival, writing on Facebook:

"We will be issuing full, automatic 100% refunds for SUNDAY passes. 50% refund for 2-Day FRI/SUN passes, including 1/2 service fees. 33% refund for 3-Day FRI/SAT/SUN passes, including 1/3 service fees. We are processing refunds as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience."