MELBOURNE (Australia) - A DOZEN people were hospitalised and 20 more received medical treatment after a 'bad batch' of drugs was distributed at a party in Australia, ambulance officials said on Sunday.

Mr Paul Holman of the state medical service Ambulance Victoria said more than 30 people aged between 17 and their early 20s fell seriously ill at a party in the southern city of Melbourne on Saturday night.

Twelve of the partygoers were rushed to a hospital from the venue and more than a dozen others made their own way to emergency rooms with symptoms ranging from fits to breathing problems after they took the drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate, known as GHB.

The number of victims made it the most serious case in years, Holman told reporters.

'The numbers that we got last night certainly would indicate that there is a bad batch of drugs going around,' he said.

Young people should be aware that so-called party drugs were dangerous, adding that: 'It's only a matter of time before we get a death,' he said.

Australia has strict laws against the use of most kinds of non-medical drugs, though they are available on the black market.

Party drugs such as Ecstasy are common at clubs and dance parties. -- AP