Australian man fighting for life after being stabbed 25 times at Colombia music festival, family says

An Australian man is fighting for his life after he was stabbed 25 times during an electronic music festival in Colombia, his family said.The family of Frank Stephen Ramirez, 46, has alleged that he was kidnapped, tortured, and thrown from a moving car after attending the Electric Daisy Carnival music festival. Mr Ramirez, from Sydney, was discovered with serious injuries on a street in Medellin in the early hours of Sunday after attending the festival, according to the City Paper Bogota.This marks the third case involving foreign nationals during the music festival. The EDC was billed as a major cultural and economic boost for the city. However, similar reports of medical emergencies have raised fears over the safety of attendees.(GoFundMe)A fundraiser has been set up for Mr Ramirez, organised by Cindy Aguilera and Michelle Ramirez, who said he had flown to Colombia for what would have been a “trip of a lifetime to attend the EDC festival in Medellín”.“Instead, it became a horrific nightmare that has shattered our world,” they wrote.The family said he was stabbed 25 times by those who allegedly kidnapped him and eyewitnesses reported he was tortured for money before being kicked out of the moving car.He remained in a serious condition, according to reports as police investigated the circumstances of the attack and a possible robbery.“Frank Stephen Ramirez is a man with a heart of gold. He is a devoted father to his son, a loving and dedicated husband to his wife, and a cherished friend to all who know him,” the fundraiser said about Mr Ramirez.“His smile and beautiful soul light up every room he enters. Frank is the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back, a man who worked hard to build a beautiful life for his family in Sydney, NSW.”The appeal said his family in Sydney is “devastated, paralysed with fear, and facing a future filled with uncertainty” as she urged for donations for his treatment.“Frank did not deserve this. He went to Colombia with nothing but positive energy to enjoy an event he loved. He has been robbed not just of his money, but of his safety, his health, and his peace of mind, “ it said.Colombian authorities are examining public surveillance footage and private security cameras after witnesses said he was thrown on the street from a moving vehicle. No arrests have been made yet.It comes after a British-born radiation oncologist, Ajay Bhatnagar, 51, who lived in the US, died on Monday after attending the music festival. Investigators were examining if the emergency was associated with the suspected consumption of high doses of amphetamines and alcohol, according to the City Paper Bogota.It followed the death of Costa Rican Ismael Gerardo Méndez Huertas, 27, who experienced breathing difficulties during the festival on Saturday night and died on Sunday at a hospital.A medical report stated that the man came to the hospital in “critical condition and with status epilepticus”. He had findings that suggested possible poisoning”, according to reports.The Independent has reached out to EDC for a comment.