Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival left nine attendees dead and more injured after a crowd rushed the stage.
While the 29-year-old “Sicko Mode” rapper performed in Houston, Texas, on Friday, November 5, the crowd surged forward and caused a mass accident.
“This is a tragic night,” Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said during a news conference early on Saturday, November 6. “We know that we had at least at least 8 confirmed fatalities tonight and we had scores of individuals that were injured here in this event.”
Peña noted that nearly 50,000 individuals attended the music festival, explaining that around 9:00 p.m. the crowd had “began to compress toward the front of the stage,” which caused panic and injuries.
“At the start of the mass casualty incident, when it was triggered … We transferred 17 patients to the hospital,” Peña added at the time. “We won’t know the cause of death of the eight that were confirmed until the medical examiner has completed his investigation, but we are in the process — Houston Police Department — is sending units to the hospitals to identify these patients.”
The incident took place at the sold-out outdoor festival, which was held at NRG Park.
The crowd surge “was from panic because people were running for safety,” a source close to the investigation tells Us Weekly. “The quick response from Astroworld security and staff on site undoubtedly saved even more people from being hurt or worse.”
During the show, Scott paused his performance “three times” to ask what had happened, according to one source.
“He asked for everybody in the area to go help them and bring them to the front,” an insider told Us. “As soon as they were made aware of what was happening, they ended the performance in the interest of public safety.”
The event’s official social media page shared a statement of support early on Saturday, writing, “Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight — especially those we lost and their loved ones. We are focused on supporting local officials however we can.”
In the statement, it was confirmed that the festival’s Saturday lineup had been canceled.
“As authorities mentioned in their press conference earlier, they are looking into the series of cardiac arrests that took place,” the social media statement read. “Thank you to our partners at the Houston Police Department, Fire Department and NRG Park for their response and support.”
Scott’s partner, Kylie Jenner, shared footage from the concert hours earlier via Instagram Story, having attended alongside sister Kendall Jenner. The 24-year-old Kylie Cosmetics founder posted snaps of a trailer with 3-year-old daughter Stormi’s name on it alongside concert videos during the rapper’s set. In Jenner’s Instagram videos, the packed crowd was seen jumping during her beau’s performance, which was complete with pyrotechnics on stage.
The musician’s annual festival completed a week’s worth of “Astroweek” programming, which he described via Instagram in October as “a wild week.”
“But injecting the city with inspirational features and activities for charity is a must,” Scott wrote at the time. “Join us thru out the week for a bunch of 
reveals and product. Bringing the ones I build with to the city and I thank them for stepping into this vision and going hammmmmm.”
Scroll below to learn more about the incident so far:
The sold-out crowd in Houston, Texas, rushed the stage during Scott’s set at 9:30 p.m., which caused mass panic and hysteria and led to numerous accidents and injuries. Amy Harris/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The Houston police initially confirmed that eight concert attendees had died and even more were injured. During a press conference on November 11, attorney James Lassiter announced the death of a 22-year-old college student who was in the crowd, bringing the total number of casualties to nine. On November 14, 9-year-old Ezra Blount died of injuries sustained during the festival, bringing the number of deaths to 10. Blount, who also became the youngest person to die from injuries at Astroworld, was placed in a medically induced coma after he was trampled on November 5. "The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son," the family's attorney, Benjamin Crump, said in a statement. "This should not have been the outcome of taking their son to a concert, what should have been a joyful celebration." Amy Harris/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The local police force’s investigation is still ongoing as Peña noted during the media conference that they planned to look into "what caused the issue of the crowd surge and what prevented people from being able to escape that situation.” HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
While the festival was initially planned as a two-day event, the organizers canceled its second night on Saturday, November 6, amid the investigation. KEN MURRAY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
After the model and the pregnant Kylie Cosmetics founder shared snaps while watching Scott’s set on Friday, a source confirmed to Us that the sisters were not harmed during the incident. Invision/AP/Shutterstock
“I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night,” the rapper tweeted a statement on Saturday. “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.” He continued in his post, “I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All.” Amy Harris/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
“We had more security over there than we had at the World Series games,” Houston mayor Sylvester Turner explained to The New York Times. “The Houston Police Department provided hundreds of officers, in addition to what I’m told were 240 or 250 non-police security that were there.” Amy Harris/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Several people were trampled, and investigators are still looking for answers regarding why the surge happened. “I’m sending investigators to the hospitals because we just don’t know,” Finner said, according to the New York Times. “We’re going to do an investigation and find out, because it’s not fair to producers, to anybody else involved, until we determine what happened, what caused the surge.” Amy Harris/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Chief of Police Troy Finner addressed reports that people were being drugged without their consent at a press conference on Saturday. "One of the narratives was some individual was injecting other people with drugs. We do have a report of a security officer, according the medical staff that was out and treated him last night, that he was out and reaching over to restrain or grab a citizen, and he felt a prick in his neck," Finner said via CBS. The police chief said this was unfounded in a press conference on Wednesday, November 10. The guard was hit in the head. He noted that other individuals were trampled and families were still being notified. Live Nation is cooperating and told authorities that they would give any video they had. Amy Harris/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Injured concertgoer Manuel Souza filed a petition against the rapper in Harris County District Court on Saturday, November 6, Us Weekly confirms. Souza called the tragedy "predictable and preventable" in the court docs and is seeking at least $1,000,000 in damages. The lawsuit also names organizer ScoreMore, entertainment company Live Nation, Scott's Cactus Jack Records and several other organizations. Shutterstock
Scott announced on Monday, November 8, that he will cover all funeral costs for the victims and further aid for those affected. He has also partnered with renowned mental health service provider BetterHealth to provide one-on-one therapy and is working with NAMI, MHA National and MHA of Greater Houston (Mental Health America). NINA PROMMER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The “Highest in the Room” crooner gave his first public interview in the wake of the incident, speaking with Charlamagne Tha God during a YouTube interview on December 9. Scott claimed that he was initially unaware of his attendees’ injuries during his performance. “I didn’t know the exact details [of the incident] until minutes before the press conference [after my set],” Scott told Charlamagne Tha God. “And even at that moment you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ People pass out, things happen at concerts, but something like that …” He continued at the time: “It’s so crazy because I’m that artist too — anytime you can hear something like that, you want to stop the show. You want to make sure fans get the proper attention they need. Anytime I could see anything like that, I did. I stopped it a couple times to just make sure everybody was OK. And I really just go off the fans’ energy as a collective — call and response. I just didn’t hear that. You can only help what you can see and whatever you’re told, whenever they tell you to stop, you stop.” Amy Harris/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Anheuser-Busch announced that the rapper's Cacti hard seltzers, launched in early 2021, are no longer in production. "After careful evaluation, we have decided to stop all production and brand development of CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer. We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision," the parent company said in a statement to AdAge on December 10. The brand's official Instagram and Twitter accounts have been deleted. A rep for Scott told TMZ that he "is not focused on business" in the aftermath of Astroworld. "His priority is helping his community and fans heal. CACTI asked AB InBev to inform their wholesalers there will not be product at this time," the spokesperson said. Nike previously delayed Scott's collaboration with Air Jordan, and Epic Games removed the performer's emote from Fortnite. APEX / MEGA
Variety reported on December 11 that Scott was set to be a headliner at Coachella 2022, but the festival pulled him from the lineup following the aftermath of Astroworld 2021. Andy Kropa/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The Harris County medical examiner's office released their findings one month after the festival, declaring that all 10 of the deaths were accidents due to "compression asphyxia." For one victim, "cocaine, methamphetamine and ethanol, a form of alcohol," were contributing factors, per the Associated Press. Robert Bumsted/AP/Shutterstock
Members of the House Oversight Committee announced in December 2021 that an investigation would begin following the tragedy, writing in a letter to Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, "Recent reports raise serious concerns about whether your company took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival. ... The tragedy at Astroworld Festival follows a long line of other tragic events and safety violations involving Live Nation." The company later issued a statement in response, noting, "Safety is core to live events and Live Nation engages in detailed security planning in coordination with local stakeholders including law enforcement, fire and EMT professionals. We are heartbroken by the events at Astroworld and our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of the victims." KEN MURRAY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
from Celebrity News – Us Weekly https://ift.tt/3keDAel
Comments
Post a Comment