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Astroworld Festival: 8 dead and ‘hundreds’ hurt after crowd surge towards stage at rapper Travis Scott’s sold-out show
AT least eight people are dead and hundreds are said to be injured following a crush at the opening night of rapper Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival.
The crowd is said to have surged towards the stage while Scott was performing at the third annual Astroworld music festival at NRG Park in Houston on Friday.
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A crowd of 50,000 showed up for the two-day event, which sold out within an hour of tickets going live in May this year.
Officials in Texas said the crowd began to "compress towards the front of the stage" at around 9.15pm, sparking panic.
They transported 17 people to hospitals with 11 of them in cardiac arrest.
It is feared hundreds more are injured, including a child as young as 10.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has released the ages for 7 of the 8 victims who have had their ages announced. They are as follows: 14, 16, 21, 21, 23, 23 and 27.
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The age of the 8th victim is still unknown at this time, according to Turner.
Addressing a press briefing in the early hours of this morning, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said: “We had at least eight confirmed fatalities today. We had scores of individuals injured at this event.”
He added that a "mass casualty incident" was triggered at 9.38pm and investigations are ongoing.
Chief Pena told reporters: "At approximately 9.15pm 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 fallout, become unconscious, and it created additional panic."
Harrowing footage on social media shows the distressing scenes as paramedics perform CPR on several people in the crowd.
It remains unclear how many people were injured as of early Saturday morning, but authorities told FOX 26 several people were in need of medical attention.
In a series of Instagram stories on Saturday, Travis Scott defended his actions at the festival.
"My fans really mean the world to me and I always wanna leave them with a positive experience and anytime I can make out anything that’s going on, I stop the show and help them get the help they need, you know?" he said.
He added that he “could never image the severity of the situation.”
"I’m gonna do everything I can to keep you guys updated and keep you guys informed on what’s going on."
People who were at the festival and users online criticized Travis for his alleged lack of care while people were being injured during the crush.
Videos show Travis continuing to perform while people were screaming and looking panicked.
Read our live Astroworld blog for the latest updates.
Travis said police in Houston have his "full support" as they continue to investigate and thanked the emergency services for their quick response.
The show was called off shortly after the horror crush and the second day of the event was also cancelled.
"Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight - especially those we lost and their loved ones," organizers of the event wrote on their social media pages.
"We are focused on supporting local officials," they added.
A number of people were treated at the scene at NRG Park on Friday, where a field hospital was set up.
One concert-goer revealed his horror as he saw a young woman snap her ankle in the chaos.
He told The Sun: "Myself and eight friends made it out safe. Imagine thousands of people pushing you forward - over 50,000 plus people.
"I’ve never been to a concert this chaotic. The smaller individuals, under 5ft 4 were like struggling for air. Children being trampled.
"I was holding onto the rail with my buddies, I had it easy. I saw many people cry and scream."
DEVASTATING SCENES
A large number of police and fire fighters were scrambled to the area of the event on Friday night.
Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite said the tragedy "all happened all at once".
He said: "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."
According to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, organizers paused the concert when they realised how many people had been hurt.
"At some point, the show was stopped when the crowd was surging," Mr Finner said.
He added that it was too early to determine what caused the crowd surge and urged people not to speculate.
Responding to the tragedy, Houston Mayor Turner, tweeted today: "The city of Houston extends our condolences to the loved ones of 8 people killed and several injured at .
"Organizers held the event to bring people together for music, but it sadly ended in tragedy. Thanks to police, fire & other agencies that responded to assist."
Drake had joined Scott on-stage at the concert - which was live-streamed by Apple Music.
said Scott stopped a number of times during his 75-minute performance when he spotted fans in distress near the front of the stage.
He begged security to make sure they were all okay and get them out of the crowd safely.
The rapper's pregnant girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, was watching his set - sharing backstage videos and clips of the crowd on Instagram before the tragedy.
There is no suggestion Kylie was injured.
Our hearts are broken. People go to these events looking for a good time, a chance to unwind, to make memories.
Lina Hidalgo
Emergency vehicles, lights and alarms flashing, could be seen cutting through the crowds during the concert.
Those who died had not been identified as of early Saturday and a reunification post was set up at the nearby Wyndham Hotel to help families locate their loved ones.
A medical examiner will investigate the cause of deaths at the festival.
Lina Hidalgo, the Harris County judge, told KHOU-TV of Houston: "Our hearts are broken.
"People go to these events looking for a good time, a chance to unwind, to make memories.
"It’s not the kind of event you go to where you expect to find out about fatalities."
Authorities said more than 300 people were injured throughout the day at the event, including those with minor scrapes and bruises.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner called for calm and urged people not to jump to conclusions as to what caused last night's surge.
"I think it's very important that none of us speculate," he said.
"Nobody has all the answers tonight."
He added that there have been several rumors surrounding the event that authorities would look into.
"We're going to do an investigation and find out because it's not fair to the producers, to anybody else involved, until we determine what happened, what caused the surge," he said.
"We don't know, but we will find out."
An ABC News reporter from Houston's local affiliate, Mycah Hatfield, reported on Twitter that an earlier stampede took place when doors opened at 2 p.m.
The reporter wrote: "A stampede burst through the gates.
"People were trampled. Some were detained."
Astroworld is Travis Scott's music festival and was being attended by a host of celebrities, including Kylie Jenner and her sister Kendall Jenner.
Tickets sold for $180 for general admission and $490 for 'stargazer' tickets.
The event sold out its 100,000 tickets within an hour of going on sale in May, ABC 13 reported.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
It came after the show was cancelled during the pandemic last year.
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