'Toxic' drugs kill five at Argentina music festival

Buenos Aires -"Toxic" drugs killed five young partygoers at a dance music festival in Argentina, authorities and experts said on Sunday.

Aged between 21 and 25, they died after attending the Time Warp electronic music festival in Buenos Aires on Friday night into Saturday, the state news agency Telam said, citing judicial sources.

Four other people were hospitalised in critical condition and the condition of a fifth had improved, the city health department said in a statement.

Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said it was thought they had taken a recreational drug spiked with a deadly substance.

"Clearly someone had put some kind of toxic poison in the drug because these young people's deaths resembled what happens when someone takes poison," she said on television.

Authorities did not immediately indicate if the drugs were purposely laced to cause damage.

The head of the Buenos Aires emergency medical service, Alberto Crescenti, said the victims suffered convulsions and high fever.

Toxicologist Marti Braschi said the victims were suspected to have taken a designer drug called "Superman", a mix of ecstasy and methamphetamine.