HOUSTON (Reuters) – At least eight people were killed and many more injured in a crush on Astroworld’s opening night during a performance by rapper Travis Scott in Houston.
The Friday night disaster was sparked by an onslaught of fans towards the stage, officials said Saturday.
The riot took place at NRG Park at around 9 pm on Friday while Scott was performing. Some of the 50,000 people who had sold out tickets began advancing towards the stage, causing panic and injury.
People began to fall unconscious, some apparently suffering heart attacks, officials told reporters outside the venue.
Minutes later, the chaos was declared a “mass incident with victims”.
“It all happened at the same time. It just seemed like it happened…in a few minutes,” said executive assistant to Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite.
“It felt like we were at a show in hell, you couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t see,” said an audience member of the show with the Twitter account @officialshaane, in a video posted on the internet.
It remains unclear what caused the disaster. An investigation was ongoing and should focus on security protocols for the event.
Two weeks ago, organizers of another concert in Houston abruptly canceled it after fans stormed through a gate and stormed a Playboi Carti concert that was being held at the same NRG Park complex.
The Astroworld festival had a similar breach at approximately 2:30 pm on Friday and went ahead with the show, according to television reports.
“I think it’s very important that no one speculates. No one has all the answers tonight,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told a news conference.
In an interview with CNN, Houston fire chief Samuel Peña described how crowd crowds quickly outstripped the private security guards hired for the festival’s first day.
Authorities transported about 23 people in serious condition, 11 of them in critical condition, Peña told CNN.
At least eight people succumbed to their injuries, he said, adding that there was a 10-year-old child among the wounded.
He said the death count could get higher.
Organizers and Scott were cooperating with the police.
“We are focused on supporting local authorities in whatever way we can,” said Astroworld Fest, an event organized by Live Nation Entertainment, via Twitter. He said he would cancel the second day of the festival, this Saturday.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba in Houston; Bhargav Acharya and N. Sabahatjahan in Bengaluru)
((Translation of São Paulo Newsroom 55 11 56447751)) REUTERS RS
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