A sold-out music festival turned into a mass casualty incident that left at least eight people dead and scores injured. A crowd surge near the stage at the Astroworld music festival in Houston organized by Travis Scott — which occurred as the rapper was performing — caused panic and what officials described as a “chaotic” scene on Friday night.
“This is a tragic night,” Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña told reporters. “We had at least eight confirmed fatalities tonight and scores of individuals that were injured.”
Peña said about 50,000 people were estimated to have been in attendance at the sold out music festival in Texas that was due to run from Nov 5 to 6.
He said that between 9 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. local time on Friday the “crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage,” causing panic and injuries. However, he noted the investigation was ongoing and the cause of the deaths was not yet determined. Some 17 individuals had been transferred to nearby hospitals, he added, with at least 11 of those in cardiac arrest and requiring CPR.
Source: Washington Post