16 People Hospitalized in Australia for Mass 'Zombie Drug' Overdose

16 people were hospitalized after consuming an unknown "zombie drug" in Australia.

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Sixteen people were taken to the hospital after consuming an unknown substance at a party in Australia's Gold Coast on Saturday. Yahoo News in Australia reports that the substance is being described as a "zombie drug," leading to concern that the drug party-goers concerned was flakka

One of the patients is an Australian soccer player, 27-year-old Riki Stephens, who is in a coma after after consuming the drug during an end-of-season trip last weekend, according to Yahoo News. The president of Stephens' club, Andrew Conforti​ of the Heathcote Saints, said of his player's hospitalization, "It's disappointing, but unfortunately they decided to try something and they're now paying the price," according to the Daily Mail

On Monday, another man suspected of being high on flakka was taped having an episode that required the assistance of eight paramedics to restrain him. The 38-year-old man was in an Uber car on Monday night when he started ripping off his clothes, then went unconscious in the backseat of the car. When paramedics arrived, he was screaming for them to help him, according to 9News

The Daily Mail reports that paramedics were not sure what drug the man consumed, but that it seemed similar to the suspected flakka cases from the weekend's party. 

Michael Farrell, Australia's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Professor has said of the recent emergence of dangerous reactions to the unknown drug, "These things can cause death and we need people to understand that and we need people to understand that and make some decisions for themselves not to take them," the Daily Mail reports. 

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