The Columbus Dispatch

Congressio­nal committee probes Astroworld concert

- Juan A. Lozano

HOUSTON – A congressio­nal committee launched an investigat­ion into the promoter of the Astroworld music festival in Houston, in which 10 people were killed during a crowd surge and attendees were packed so tightly that many could not breathe or move their arms.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee sent a letter to Live Nation Entertainm­ent Inc.’s president and CEO, Michael Rapino, asking for infor- mation about the company’s role in the Nov. 5 festival and concert by rap super- star Travis Scott.

Informatio­n the committee requested included details about security, crowd control and mass casualty incident planning; details about any preshow briefings by Live Nation or its subsidiari­es on any safety concerns; and what steps the concert promoter will take to prevent injuries or deaths at future events.

“Recent reports raise serious concerns about whether your company took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoe­rs who attended Astroworld Festival,” the committee said in the letter.

The committee is requesting that Live Nation provide documentat­ion on the questions by Jan. 7 and that it provide a briefing to committee members by Jan. 12.

Such a briefing would be behind closed doors and not open to the public.

“We are assisting local authoritie­s in their investigat­ion and will of course share informatio­n with the Committee as well. Safety is core to live events and Live Nation engages in detailed security planning in coordinati­on with local stakeholde­rs including law enforcemen­t, fire and EMT profession­als. We are heartbroke­n by the events at Astroworld and our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of the victims,” Live Nation said in a statement.

The youngest of the 10 victims was Ezra Blount, 9. The ages of the others who died as headliner Scott took to the stage ranged from 14 to 27.

Some 300 people were injured and treated at the festival site and 25 were taken to hospitals.

Earlier this month, officials announced that the people killed at the concert died from compressio­n asphyxia. A medical expert says the pressure from the crowd surge at the event was so great that it quickly squeezed all the air from the lungs of the victims, causing them to pass out within a minute or so and die because critical organs, such as the heart and brain, were depleted of oxygen.

Nearly 400 lawsuits have been filed over injuries and deaths at the concert, including many against Live Nation and Scott.

 ?? ERIC CHRISTIAN SMITH/AP, FILE ?? Ten people died Nov. 5 during a crowd surge as rapper Travis Scott took the stage at Astroworld in Houston.
ERIC CHRISTIAN SMITH/AP, FILE Ten people died Nov. 5 during a crowd surge as rapper Travis Scott took the stage at Astroworld in Houston.

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