Travis Scott's performance at the Astroworld Festival on Day 1 (Amy Harris, AP)
8 people have been reported dead and scores more injured after a crowd stampede that took place during the performance of rapper Travis Scott at the Astroworld Festival in NRG Park, Harris County, Texas. A reunification camp has been set up in the area for those who have not heard from relatives or friends after the incident occured.
300 people are being treated for injuries, while the estimated crowd size is currently 50,000 people. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was quoted by media as saying that a 10 year-old was included in the list of casualties. Witnesses said that Travis Scott stopped the performance multiple times when he saw fans near the front barriers were in distress and eventually called the concert off after it was apparent that many were being injured. Emergency officials said there was an unprecedented rush at the barriers which caused the commotion that caused 11 people to be rushed to hospital in cardiac arrest.
The second and final day of the festival, on Saturday, has been cancelled. Astroworld is an annual event held at NRG Park since 2018, though it was put on pause last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier on Friday, hundreds of people had rushed the event's perimeter, knocking down metal detectors and a security screening area to get into the concert, news outlet ABC13 reports. Videos of the event have also emerged which show concert goers leaping onto emergency vehicles cutting through the crowd even as the performance continues on stage. Emergency services were immediately swamped by the sheer number of injuries.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the stampede. Neither Live Nation or Travis Scott have released an official statement as of yet.