Breaking: Chaos erupts at Astroworld Festival, claiming lives and injuring many
Written by Christina Abay on November 6, 2021
Photograph: Twitter @onacasella/KTSU2
Officials in Houston confirm at least eight fatalities and numerous injuries during Friday night’s opening show of artist Travis Scott’s AstroWorld Festival.
The deaths and injuries happened when the crowd of 50-thousand started to surge towards the stage; however, the cause of deaths and injuries have not been confirmed, said Houston Police Chief Troy Finner.
Along with the verified deaths, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña revealed that 11 of the 17 persons sent to the hospital were in cardiac arrest.
“We had scores of individuals that were injured,” Peña said during the news conference.
Some of the victims transferred, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, were as young as ten years old.
Peña explained during the news conference held following the concert at approximately 1:40 a.m. that around 9 p.m., festivalgoers began rushing toward the stage, resulting in panic and numerous injuries.
People began to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic,” Peña said.
Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña
It was reported that an estimated 50,000 people attended the third annual AstroWorld Festival.
The chaos that erupted was documented on social media by many who were in attendance at the concert. Medical personnel on standby were reportedly overwhelmed by the injured, prompting some attendees to administer CPR.
23 people were hospitalized and an additional 300 were treated throughout the day, according to Houston police.
The Windham Houston Hotel, located at 8686 Kirby, has been designated as the reunification center for families who have been unable to contact relatives during the festival.
Houston officials announced early Saturday morning that the two-day sold-out festival scheduled to continue today has been canceled.
The investigation into the “mass casualty incident” will look into reports of fentanyl-laced drug use and “crowd rushing” as potential factors, according to law enforcement.
Jordan Brand and the Cactus Jack Foundation, founded by the GRAMMY Award-nominated artist, Travis Scott, recently unveiled a basketball court in Sunnyside for middle and high school students to take basketball classes. Scott also thrilled fans by hosting the annual Cactus Jack Foundation Fall Classic as part of his AstroWorld celebrations.
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