17-Year-Old Dies After Taking Ecstasy, Ketamine at Under-18s Southampton Rave

Aliya Agwu, a 17-year-old girl from Basingstoke, died after taking two ecstasy pills and ketamine at an under-18s DNB rave at the Engine Rooms in Southampton in August 2023. Despite the venue's strict security measures, including sniffer dogs and a no-alcohol policy, Aliya and her friends managed to buy and consume drugs during the event. After the rave ended, she collapsed at Southampton Central railway station and was rushed to Southampton General Hospital, where she died from multiple organ failure caused by a fatal amount of MDMA and a recreational level of ketamine. Coroner Henry Charles recorded the cause of death as misadventure and described Aliya as a "lovely, talented young person with huge promise." The coroner acknowledged the nightclub's efforts to prevent drug use but noted that Aliya and her friends had deliberately acquired drugs to enhance the night, which tragically ended in her death. Aliya's mother described her as a beautiful person with much ahead of her, emphasizing the heartbreaking loss of a promising young life.