At least eight people are dead and dozens more injured after a sold-out crowd of roughly 50,000 surged during rapper Travis Scott’s performance late Friday at the Astroworld Festival outside NRG Park, overwhelming security forces and resulting in one of the deadliest concerts in U.S. history. (Houston Chronicle)
The victims range in age from 14 to 27, officials said at a Saturday afternoon briefing. They also confirmed that 25 people were transported to the hospital, with 13 still hospitalized including five minors. (NPR)
Videos of the night show a chaotic scene in which concertgoers tried to yell for help but were drowned out by loud music. The videos, mostly taken by members of the crowd, reveal a sense of panic that spiraled over the 70 minutes in which Scott performed his set. (WaPo)
Questions raised by concertgoers and local officials included whether there had been adequate security and medical personnel on hand for the event, and whether the concert could have been shut down sooner. Scott continued playing through his set of music, urging the crowd on at times, at other times pausing to acknowledge that something appeared to be wrong, including when an ambulance entered the crowd around 9:30 p.m. (NYT)
Prior to the fatal surge, some 300 people had been treated throughout the day at the music festival by on-site medical personnel, authorities said. There were “many instances” where they had to administer Narcan, which is used to treat a narcotic overdose, said Houston fire chief Sam Pena, who did not have an exact number. (ABC News)
A concertgoer who was injured during the festival is suing Scott, who was the organizer of the Astroworld Festival, as well as entertainment company Live Nation, concert promoter Scoremore and others involved in the event. (CNN)