On Friday night, at the Astroworld Music Festival in Texas, at least 8 people were killed and dozens were injured.
When fans flocked to the stage on the opening night of the Houston Music Festival, the infatuation happened.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena confirmed the casualty figures at an early morning press conference outside NRG Park.
Pena said that around 9pm, the crowd gathered to watch the rapper perform Travis Scott Started to push forward, causing panic and injuries.
He said people began to lose consciousness, and the chaos escalated to 9:38 pm, triggering a “mass casualty incident.”
The fire department sent 17 people to the hospital, 11 of whom suffered cardiac arrest.
It is believed that a 10-year-old child was injured in the incident.
It is not clear what caused this disaster.
Disturbing footage on social media showed medical professionals performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on motionless attendees.
In one such clip, even though the crowd continued to swing their arms to the music, an ambulance stopped.
“I think it is very important that none of us speculate. No one knows all the answers tonight,” Houston Police Chief Troy Fenner said.
“If you don’t have facts, if you don’t have evidence, I won’t object. We hurt the family here.”
Event organizer Live Nation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Scott stopped several times during the 75-minute performance when he found fans in distress near the front of the stage.
He asked the security to make sure they were okay and help them leave the crowd. Emergency vehicles, lights and alarms flashed, passing through the crowd several times.
The fire department said on Twitter that it has set up a reunion center for families who have no news of their loved ones during the holiday season.
The newspaper added that 50,000 people attended the two-day event. The second day of the festival has been cancelled.
The Houston Chronicle quoted Harris County Judge Lena Hidalgo as saying it was an “extremely tragic night.”
Famous celebrities including Kylie and Kendall Jenner attended the festival.
Many well-known performances, including singer Sza, rapper 21 Savage and indie band Tame Impala, will be on display, and the general ticket price is 180 US dollars (approximately 133 pounds).
“(This is) obviously a very, very miserable night. Our hearts are broken,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said.
“Although tonight’s focus needs to be on our families and our lost lives. Many of them are very young, tragically young,” she added.
Scott, born in Houston, is a rap music artist who gained fame in the early 2010s for his unique vocal style. Astroworld is also the title of his third studio album released in 2018, which is well received.
He and Kylie Jenner from the famous Kardashian family have a daughter.
