Pair fight for life after drug-fuelled Hallowe'en party

Two young men were fighting for their lives tonight after a Hallowe'en house party descended into a drugs-fuelled horror.

As many as eight people believed to have taken liquid ecstasy during celebrations at a number of neighbouring apartments in west Dublin had to be taken to hospital, the Garda said.

Officers were called to the scene at Annaly Court, Ongar, in the early hours of the morning after a number of complaints about public order incidents.

When they arrived, several of the late-night revellers were taken ill and were rushed to James Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown.

The hospital said four young men in their 20s, suspected of taking a cocktail of drugs, were admitted between 3am and 5am.

Two remain in a serious but stable condition in intensive care while two others were described as stable.

The Garda said it is believed GHB, a potentially lethal sedative known as liquid ecstasy, was taken at the party.

The drug can kill when mixed with alcohol.

Investigators concerned that others who may have taken the drug at the party issued an appeal for them to get medical help.

“Some of those who attended may be living alone and gardaí are anxious that those people are checked on and given medical advice without delay,” a Garda spokesman said.

They have also appealed to family and friends of anybody who was at the party to check on them.

“A Garda investigation into the supply and consumption of a controlled substance is under way but the priority at this stage is to ensure that anyone who consumed or was exposed to dangerous drugs receives medical attention,” the spokesman added.

The investigation is focusing on Halloween festivities in a ground-floor apartment at Annaly Court, which was sealed off as Garda technical experts carried out a forensic examination.

A cardboard skeleton and a rubber mask hung outside the door of the apartment.

No arrests have been made.