Eight die, hundreds hurt in Scott concert crowd crush in Texas
AT least eight people are dead and hundreds injured after a fatal crowd crush and chaotic stampede during the opening night of world famous rapper Travis Scott’s set at the Astroworld music festival Houston, Texas.
Paramedics rushed about two dozen people to hospitals from the scene and CPR was performed on at least 11 of them when they were taken away, officials confirmed.
Those injured also included a child “as young as 10”.
At least 17 people were rushed to hospital, and 11 were in cardiac arrest. Some 300 concertgoers were treated at a field hospital on the scene.
Scott looked distraught after the crush but was yet to comment. Also at the concert was Scott’s partner Kylie Jenner and model sister Kendall. Alternative psych-rock Australian band Tame Impala was also listed on the festival line-up alongside Earth Wind & Fire, SZA,Young Thug, Bad Bunny, Lil Baby, 22 Savage, Master P and Chief Keef.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said the crowd crush and stampede toward the stage occurred while Scott was performing at the third annual Astroworld music festival at NRG Park in the southern half of the US. At around 9.15pm local time. the crowd of approximately 50,000 concertgoers began to move toward the front of the stage.
By 9.38pm, Pena said a “mass casualty incident” was triggered as the number of victims grew and emergency responders became overwhelmed.
“The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage and that caused some panic and it started causing some injuries.
“People started to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic. “We had at least eight confirmed fatalities tonight and scores of individuals that were injured,” he said.