Things spiraled downhill quickly at the Astroworld music festival located in Houston, Texas.
There were about 50,000 people attending the popular sold-out music festival on Friday, November 5. It all quickly became disastrous around 9 p.m. Now, there are at least eight people reported as dead following a surge of the crowd while rapper Travis Scott was performing on stage. The entire crowd quickly surged to the front, crushing those already there because they were unable to escape.
The show is no longer happening shortly after the terrifying and tragic incident.
Deadly Surge at Astroworld
In addition to the deaths, several other concertgoers at NRG Park have severe injuries following the chaos. According to the Associated Press, officials at the scene called it a “mass casualty incident.”
“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 Fire Chief Samuel Peña said regarding the incident at the festival.
Medical officials already planted at the scene quickly got overrun when the chaos started in the crowd.
There were 17 people that ended up at a nearby hospital. This also includes 11 individuals suffering from cardiac arrest. A field hospital was set up on the scene and there were about 300 people examined. There was also a reunification center set up for family members to find those in attendance at the festival.
Despite Astroworld being a two-day festival, there will be no performances on Saturday. Some of the performers present for the festival include SZA, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Don Toliver, and Chief Keef.
More Investigations to Come Regarding Festival
Now, officials from Astroworld are speaking out regarding the deadly incident. “Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight – especially those we lost and their loved ones. We are focused on supporting local officials however we can,” the show promoters wrote on Twitter.
In addition, there will still be further investigations into the deaths of these eight individuals at Astroworld. The cause of death remains unknown at the moment until an official word from the medical examiner comes out.
As for the surge itself, there will also be further investigation into what started all the chaos in the first place. Rumors are circulating, but Astroworld officials want people to wait for 100% factual information. There are also videos and extremely detailed reports of paramedics performing CPR and other events that occurred at Astroworld. Some are calling for the removal of these graphic videos out of respect for loved ones.
