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FAMILY'S GRIEF
Astroworld Festival victim’s family reveal heartbreaking final text and slam Travis Scott’s team after stampede
THE family of a 16-year-old victim who died at the Astroworld Festival have opened up about how they have been "destroyed" by her death and revealed a heartbreaking final text message.
Brianna Rodriguez was found unresponsive after losing her friends in the crowd stampede during rapper Travis Scott's performance at the NRG Park in Houston late on Friday evening.
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Her aunt Iris Rodriguez, 38, has revealed the heartbreaking final moments of her niece's life and also slammed Scott's team, saying they should have canceled the gig earlier in the day - after scores of people jumped over barriers.
She said Brianna's mom Ester and dad Osvaldo are "devastated" by the tragedy and cannot believe they have lost their "princess."
Brianna, who attended Heights High School and loved to dance, also leaves behind two siblings - Xzavier, 10, and Gisselle, 13.
Iris, speaking exclusively to The US Sun, said: "We don't know exactly what happened, what caused her death. We are waiting for the autopsy results.
";My sister-in-law had received a phone call that she was being taken to the hospital because she was not breathing.
"She called me at around 10.03pm on Friday, I was the first person she called.
"She said Brianna had gained her wings, I just remember screaming and I blacked out.
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"I then came around but thought, 'No, she’s lying'. I called her back, but she didn't answer. And I knew she was gone.
"They went to see her in the hospital, they are heartbroken. She was their first child, their eldest, but still their little girl.
Read our Travis Scott Astroworld Festival live blog for the very latest news and updates...
"We were told that once she was in the ambulance, she didn't have any pulse. But they tried to bring her back and in the hospital. They tried to do everything they could.
Iris added: "I saw the news around 5pm where all the people were trying to get in, trampling each other. I texted my sister-in-law saying, 'Please tell Brianna to be careful'.
"She said, 'She's fine, she's been texting me, we're having a blast or whatever'. So what happened?"
Brianna had gone to the concert with a group of friends who claimed "people were shoving each other," according to Iris, and "somehow they lost her and by the time they got to her, she was already unresponsive. People were trying to give her CPR, but it was too late."
She said she doesn't want to directly blame Travis Scott for her niece's death - after he broke his silence, saying he's "devastated" for the loved ones affected by the tragedy, while his girlfriend Kylie Jenner said she's heartbroken.
Iris said: "He's a father, you know. I would never want anything like this to happen to his babies.
"I don't know if it's about the money, or he didn't know what was going on.
"I just want to say to Travis that Brianna loved him, and that I'm sad his team weren't able to keep these kids safe.
"And because of that we no longer have our shining star."
Crushingly, she added: "I am yet to hear from his team, they haven't reached out to our family.
"It's tragic for all of the victims. These young people went there to have a good time. They did not expect to wake up that morning and never go home again.
"My heart goes out to everybody. We understand, we pray for them. All we have now is memories keeping her alive in our hearts.
"This is how our Lord wanted her to go, we can't question him. We just hope she went peacefully and she’s forever going to be missed."
In videos posted to Instagram on Saturday, Scott was overcome with emotion as he gave a statement about his actions during the tragic first night of the Astroworld 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.
The rapper, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II added that he is working with the proper authorities and is asking fans from the event to do the same.
"If you have any information, please just contact your local authorities. Everyone continue to just keep your prayers."
Brianna's family have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral expenses.
Anyone wishing to make a contribution can .
A total of eight people tragically lost their lives Friday at the NRG Park, Houston, when a crowd of around 50,000 people stampeded.
Reality star Washington Ho, who was attending the Astroworld Festival with his wife Leslie, slammed the organizers Live Nation saying the event was "poorly managed."
He told The Sun: "I've been to concerts all my life, but this was definitely the worst poorly managed, disorganized concert."
The youngest victim in the tragedy was 14-year-old John Hilgert.
John was a popular student at Houston's Memorial High School and a keen baseball player.
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University of Dayton student Franco Patino, 21, lost his life at the concert, according to The
Rudy Peña, a Laredo man, was also among the victims, .
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