MDMA contributed to two EDC weekend deaths in Las Vegas, coroner says

MDMA contributed to the deaths of an Electric Daisy Carnival attendee and a second man who traveled to Las Vegas for the weekend event in May, according to the Clark County coroner’s office.

Those who died were Opkar Mahal, 39, of North Las Vegas, and Azmi Atassi, of Flagstaff, Arizona.

Medical examiners ruled the deaths to be accidents.

The yearly electronic music festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of attendees, took place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway from May 16 to May 18, wrapping up the morning of May 19.

Mahal collapsed on festival grounds in the early morning of May 19 and died shortly after at University Medical Center, the coroner’s office said.

Atassi, who authorities said was in town for the festival, was last seen entering his hotel room the morning of May 18, the coroner’s office said.

The 33-year-old was found dead after hotel staff conducted a welfare check around 1 a.m. the next day, the coroner’s office said.

MDMA — the psychedelic party drug also known as ecstasy — killed Mahal, the coroner’s office said. Atassi was killed by a mixture of illicit drugs, including MDMA.

Hypertensive cardiovascular disease contributed to both deaths, the coroner’s office said.

The Metropolitan Police Department said in May that it was reviewing the deaths. The agency did not respond to inquiries this week seeking an update.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.