Crowd surged as rapper Travis Scott was on stage, officials said
“The crowd for whatever reason began to push and surge towards the front of the stage, which caused the people in the front to be compressed — they were unable to escape that situation,” Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña told CNN Saturday morning.
“People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic,” Peña said at a news conference.
As a timer counted down 30 minutes to Scott’s performance, “people compressed up against each other and were pushing forward and backward,” and it got progressively worse, Eskins told CNN Saturday.
“I was having constant pressure on my chest, constant pressure on my back. From the side, I was being squeezed,” she said.
“Right when he started performing his first song, I looked at my boyfriend and said, ‘We have to get out of here.’ He said, ‘I can’t — we can’t,’ ” Eskins recalled.
“And I just remember looking up and passing out.
“Then I was in and out for a little while. I didn’t see anything, but I could kind of feel what was going on. Someone pulled me over a fence and I was sat in a chair, and then I passed out again.
“And when I woke up, I was in a different area in a chair with a water bottle in my lap.”
More than 300 people treated at field hospital
More than 300 people were treated at a field hospital set up near the festival, Peña said.
Twenty-three people were taken to hospitals, and eight of them died, Peña said. One patient is 10 years old, and at last check was in critical condition, Peña told CNN Saturday morning.
Some of the patients were in cardiac arrest as they were taken to hospitals, Peña said. Further details about the injuries weren’t immediately available. The causes of death will be determined by a medical examiner, he said.
Crowd members attempt CPR on the injured
People who attended Friday’s concert shared on social media the chaos that ensued after the deadly nighttime surge. Medical personnel were so overwhelmed with the injuries that some audience members attempted to administer CPR.
Houston police and event security staff stopped the concert “as soon as the situation got to the point where it was overwhelming the resources there,” but by then “the damage had been done,” Peña said.
Peña said the cause of the surge was not immediately clear.
Investigators will review video of the scene and look at how the venue was laid out and whether it had enough exit points, Peña said.
The investigation will explore “what caused, one, the issue of the crowd surge, and two, what prevented people from being able to escape that situation,” Peña said.
Saturday’s portion of the planned two-day event is canceled, organizers said.
“As authorities mentioned in their press conference earlier, they are looking into the series of cardiac arrests that took place. If you have any relevant information on this, please reach out to @houstonpolice,” the tweet reads.
People rushed through gate hours earlier — and 3 were trampled at event two years ago
Earlier in the day, video from CNN affiliate KPRC showed numerous people rushing through a VIP entrance at the event — knocking over metal detectors and sometimes other people, and ignoring security staff.
The video showed some people helping a few others up. Peña said he didn’t know what caused that rush, either.
“We do know that we had people jump the fence,” and at least one person was injured in that afternoon rush, Peña said.
CNN asked Peña whether that instance led to special precautions at this year’s event. “It’s obvious that if they did, they weren’t enough,” Peña responded.
The festival was slated to feature artists including SZA, Bad Bunny and 21 Savage.
Houston’s mayor offered condolences to the loved ones of those killed.
