Party death: Police tried in vain to save victim

• Shock and sadness over party death

The University of Otago student may have been trampled by other partygoers as she attempted to leave the overcrowded Dundas St house, a witness said earlier today.

Otago Coastal Area Commander Inspector Marty Gray told media  at Dunedin Central Police Station this afternoon the young woman's family, who lived outside Dunedin, had been informed of what had happened.

The two-storey house was being guarded today as scene investigators examined the building, and occupants were being provided with support.

It was too early to speculate on whether charges would be laid, or whether it was an accident, and Inspector Gray could not provide any details of her identity.

"It's not a time to sort of point fingers or to indicate that anything sinister went on. It's for us to sort of rally round this community who are hurting and for a very good reason" he said.

Inspector Gray told media there were "a couple of hundred" people at the party but later said up to 600 were on the premises.

Police received a 111 call at 11.55pm requesting help from Campus Watch to advise of "general disorder" in the area, he said, and a second call from partygoers while they were on the way to the address saying the party was out of control and they needed police assistance.

"When our officers arrived there was....about 500 or 600 partygoers, a lot of them anxious, a lot of them trying to get out of the premises, a lot of them trying to get in the premises, a lot of disorganisation, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of anxiety," he said.

"So the police's....focus was on determining what was going on, and then one thing led to another. It was a very quick succession of events," he said.

"The victim was carried out of the house by other people and resuscitation attempts were made at that time."

Police were working to try to revive the  victim for "a good five minutes" before St John arrived. He also praised the "fantastic" attempts of partygoers to help the young woman.

Despite reports of a stairway collapsing, there were "no structural issues in the house" that could be attributed to the incident, Inspector Gray said. The party had not been flagged with police beforehand.

A NewsHub reporter said the TV station had footage of someone being restrained by police; but Inspector Gray said no arrests were made at the scene, and police had not met with any resistance.

"Everyone was in a state of shock"

It was too early to say whether charges would be laid; and the police's priority was to support the woman's family and the wider community in the wake of the incident.