According to an event planning document written by the concert organizer Scoremore, the rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival staff was told to call the concert audience who might die the “Smurfs” “.
The event operation plan for the two-day concert series at NRG Park in Houston, Texas instructed staff to never use terms such as “dead” or “dead” in broadcasts.
Instead, Scoremore told the concert staff to use the code name “Smurfs” to describe the suspected deceased concert audience.
The planning document is First report by CNN And drafted before the concert.
The second half of the document includes a black text box with white letters, suggesting that the staff write in all capitals: “Every effort should be made not to panic the audience. If the threat is not within their reach, let the incident continue.”
On Friday, as fans flocked to the stage and overwhelmed the audience, Scott’s performance became fatal.
Authorities said that eight people-including a 14-year-old child and a pair of best friends-were killed in the surge. There are hundreds more- Including a boy who is receiving life support -Injured in the chaos.
Brent Taylor, a spokesperson for the Houston Mayor’s Office, said that the use of the term “Smurfs” in this document is “operational.”
Taylor said he had heard of the term “second-hand” before, but further raised questions to Scoremore.
Representatives for Scoremore, Live Nation and Scott did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
This story is developing. Please check for updates.
