At least eight people are dead and numerous more injured after a Travis Scott performance quickly turned into chaos at the Astroworld concert. What exactly happened is still very unclear, but from personal accounts of numerous concertgoers, it seems many people collectively pushed toward the stage, which caused others nearer barricades to get trapped and experience difficulty breathing. Some passed out, and when others tried to help, it reportedly created more chaos. At least 300 were reportedly injured.
It will take a long time and likely a prolonged investigation to figure out exactly what happened, but there were reportedly a lot of issues with crowd control, starting many hours before the Travis Scott performance. Videos are circulating online that allege to show hundreds of people breaking through barriers at a VIP entrance. They knocked over barricades and streamed in before security was able to take control of the situation. Later in the evening, there are additional videos circulating of emergency personnel and ambulances trying to get through the crowd to treat the injured, only to be met with resistance and some concertgoers who even jumped on top of the vehicles.
According to TMZ, Travis Scott played for approximately 75 minutes. The performance was streamed on Apple TV. There were several points during the show in which he stopped and gestured to security about things happening in the crowd. The concert continued, however, and it wasn’t until after that the full tragedy of what happened became clear.
Local news station KHOU is reporting eleven people went into cardiac arrest. More than two dozen were rushed to nearby hospitals, one of whom was only ten years old. Others are reporting as many as 300 were treated at a field hospital set up at the event. Fire Chief Samuel Pena told reporters the problems began with pushing toward the stage at around 9:15 PM local time and by 9:35, a mass casualty incident was declared.
Emergency personnel are currently working to identify all of the victims and those injured. A full investigation has been launched to try and figure out what exactly happened. The rest of the festival, which was scheduled to continue tonight, has been cancelled. Police are encouraging anyone who is still unable to contact their loved ones to call 832-393-2991. There has also been a command post set up at the Wyndham Hotel in Houston to coordinate all of the missing persons investigations.
Our thoughts go out to everyone whose lives were affected by this tragedy.
