Astroworld Stampede: One more dead, nine year old in induced coma, organisers face lawsuits
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Memorial set up at NRG Park for the victims of the Astroworld Stampede
A fan who was critically injured has died in hospital almost a week after the stampede at the Astroworld concert held in Houston, Texas on November 5. The massive stampede saw thousands of fans obstruct vehicles, trample one another and kill 8 people at the time while injuring scores of others, in an incident which is now the subject of at least 30 lawsuits. Nine-year old Ezra Blout was put into a medical coma on Tuesday after his family said he suffered massive internal trauma and brain swelling due to being trampled underfoot during the stampede as his father tried to carry him to safety.
"My son, once he had passed out from the pressure being applied to him during the concert, he passed out and Ezra fell into the crowd," Blount's grandfather told The Associated Press. "When my son awakened, Ezra wasn't there."
The attorney for Axel Acosta Avilia, 22, who was killed in the stampede told reporters on Monday that the family would be pressing legal charges for their son who had 'the life squeezed out of him' during the concert. Bharti Shahani, a 22 year old student at Texas A&M University was also a victim of the stampede and was declared brain dead soon after.
Rapper Travis Scott who was performing during the incident and who is one of the hosts of the Astroworld festival has agreed to pay the funeral expenses of the deceased and has expressed his deep regret for the deaths of his fans. However the singer has also come under fire for being reluctant to end the performance even when he was informed of the stampede.
30 lawsuits have already been filed, accusing organisers of failing to take simple crowd-control steps or staff the area properly. Houston police, along with the fire department, played a key role in safety measures at the sold-out show that drew 50,000 people. Police are also investigating claims that someone had been injecting crowd members with drugs after a policeman was stabbed in the neck with a needle-like instrument. He was later revived with an anti-opiate. The FBI is also working with the local police department to ascertain the cause of the incident and the events leading up to it.