Eight are killed and ‘hundreds’ injured at Travis Scott’s sold-out Astroworld Festival in Houston
Eight are killed and ‘hundreds’ are injured, ‘some as young as ten,’ after crowd surges towards stage at rapper Travis Scott’s sold-out Astroworld Festival in Houston
Eight people are dead and ‘hundreds’ more injured after a crush and stampede at Astroworld Festival in Texas Revellers surged toward the stage on Friday just after 9pm while Travis Scott was performing in HoustonSeventeen people were taken to hospitals, with 11 of those in cardiac arrest, KHOU 11 News Houston reported A crowd of 50,000 showed up for the two-day event after it was cancelled last year due to CovidBut the show was called off after chaos broke out, and the second day has been scrapped
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Eight people are dead and ‘hundreds’ more injured after a crush and stampede at rapper Travis Scott’s sold-out Astroworld Festival in Texas.
A group of music revellers surged toward the stage on Friday evening just after 9pm local time while Scott was performing at NRG Park in Houston.
A crowd of 50,000 showed up for the two-day event, tickets for which sold out within an hour of going live in May after the festival was cancelled last year due to Covid. But the show was called off after chaos broke out, and the second day has been scrapped.
Harrowing footage on social media shows paramedics performing CPR on several people on the floor within the crowd. Seventeen people were taken to hospitals, with 11 of those in cardiac arrest, while people were also treated at the park, where a field hospital had been set up.
It is feared that hundreds, including children as young as 10, were injured. Officials in Texas confirmed eight people were killed but insisted the cause of death was unknown, and urged people not to ‘speculate’ about the cause of the mass casualty event.
‘We had at least eight confirmed fatalities tonight and scores of individuals that were injured,’ Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said.
‘The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries. People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.’
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner added: ‘I think it’s very important that none of us speculate. Nobody has all the answers tonight. If you don’t have facts, if you don’t have evidence, I’m not going to speak against that. We have hurting families out here.’
Officials were seen giving CPR to an Astroworld attendee late Friday night
Multiple ambulances and other personnel were seen at NRG Park on Friday
Astroworld is rapper Travis Scott’s sold-out music festival featuring numerous acts
Travis Scott performing onstage during the third annual Astroworld Festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas on November 5, 2021
Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite said: ‘It happened all at once.
‘It seemed like it just happened… over the course of just a few minutes. Suddenly we had several people down on the ground, experiencing some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode.
The Houston Chronicle said Scott stopped multiple times during his 75-minute performance when he spotted fans in distress near the front of the stage.
He asked security to make sure they were OK and help them out of the crowd. Emergency vehicles, lights and alarms flashing, cut through the crowds several times.
The Houston Chronicle quoted Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo as calling it an ‘extremely tragic night.’
A medical examiner will investigate the cause of death at the festival. The deceased had not been identified as of early Saturday.
Officials set up a reunification centre at a hotel for family members who had not been able to reach relatives in attendance at the festival.
A stampede broke out earlier in the day as people burst through the gates at NRG Park
Hundreds of people destroyed the VIP security entrance, bypassing the checkpoint
Some people were trampled in the chaos, but the stampede does not appear to be related to the multiple injuries related Friday night
The Houston Fire Department earlier said in a tweet that it was on scene after receiving reports of multiple civilian injuries.
Astroworld is rapper Scott’s music festival and is being attended by a host of celebrities, including Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner. Tickets sold for $180 for general admission and $490 for ‘stargazer’ tickets.
Footage from NRG park circulating on social media showed scores of people rushing the gates with security at the gates unable to contain the flow.
Several people could be seen falling over, bringing down the metal detectors at the arena entrance but it is unclear if that incident was linked to the deaths.
However, authorities said more than 300 people were injured throughout the day at the event, including those with minor scrapes and bruises.
An ABC News reporter from Houston’s local affiliate, Mycah Hatfield, had reported via Twitter that chaos ensued during day one of the festival as soon as doors opened at 2 p.m.
‘A stampede burst through the gates. Hundreds of people destroyed the VIP security entrance, bypassing the checkpoint. People were trampled. Some were detained,’ she wrote of the scene at NRG Park.
One person who was detained by security told ABC13: ‘I just really wanted to be inside the festival so bad.’
