8 die in festival crush
AT least eight rap fans were killed and hundreds injured in a horrific crowd crush on the opening day of a festival.
Producer and rapper Travis Scott was performing in front of a sell-out audience of 50,000 when excited youngsters surged towards the stage, sparking a mass panic.
Dozens of fans collapsed while others trampled over them at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, at 9pm on Friday.
Minutes later, the chaos was declared a “mass casualty incident” – while the rapper, unaware of the unfolding tragedy, played on.
Other fans unaware of the unfolding tragedy carried on snapping him as ambulances struggled to get though the crowd and reach victims.
One fan said: “It felt like we was in a concert in hell – you couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t see.”
Paramedics performed CPR on sev- eral concert-goers on the ground and 17 victims were taken to hospitals – 11 of them in cardiac arrest.
An emergency field hospital was set up at the festival site at the NRG Park. Over 300 fans, including children as young as ten, were treated for injuries like cuts and
bruises. Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said: “We had at least eight confirmed fatalities and scores that were injured.
“The crowd began to compress towards 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.”
Local county judge Lina Hidalgo said: “Our hearts are
broken. People go to these events for a good time, to unwind, to make memories – it’s not the kind of event where you expect fatalities.”
Judge Hidalgo added that many of those killed at the festival were tragically young – and the death toll was expected to rise.
Texas governor Greg Abbott said: “Our hearts are with those who lost their lives and those who were injured in the terrifying crowd surge. Thank you to the first responders and good Samaritans who were on site and immediately tended to those who were injured in the crowd.”
Scott, who founded the festival, stopped several times in his performance when he saw fans in distress near the stage, asking security to help them out of the crowd.
His pregnant girlfriend Kylie Jenner, 24, of the reality TV fame Kardashian family, was also watching his set alongside their daughter Stormi, three.
Scott, 30, said last night: “I’m devastated by what took place. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted. Houston PD has my total support as they look into the tragic loss of life.
“I am committed to working with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support.”
Hours before the horror, fans were reportedly seen overwhelming security in a rush to get in.
A reunification centre was set up at the Wyndham Houston Hotel for families yet to hear from loved ones.
The festival’s second day was cancelled yesterday. Astroworld said in a statement their hearts were with the “festival family... especially those we lost and their loved ones”.