The famous sold-out music festival turned into a “mass casualty” incident when a crowd surged towards the front stage and squeezed audience members who had nowhere to escape at the event attended by some 50,000 Travis Scott fans.
American rapper Travis Scott’s much-awaited concert at the Astroworld Music festival in Texas turned into a massive tragedy as a crowd surge left 8 people dead and hundreds injured.
The famous sold-out music festival turned into a “mass casualty” incident when a crowd surged towards the front stage and squeezed audience members who had nowhere to escape at the event attended by some 50,000 Travis Scott fans.
Scott’s jam-packed concert featuring multiple acts at the Astroworld Festival in Houston was cancelled immediately after the incident as people started falling after the massive crowd began to move towards the front part of the stage around 9:00-9:15 PM (Texas local time) on Friday.
Astroworld Festival is an annual music festival run by Travis Scott, named after the rapper’s successful 2018 album Astroworld. The festival is held in Houston, Texas, at NRG Park.
According to what Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena told CNN on Saturday, the crowd began to push towards the front of the stage. It caused the people in the front to be compressed, and they could not escape that situation.
That surge sparked panic, and as the situation worsened, it overwhelmed the security personnel there. People also began to fall out and become unconscious, and this created even more panic.
Scott released his first statement on Friday’s incident via his verified Twitter account on Saturday.
“I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival,” he said.
Scott said that he is committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. He also thanked Houston PD, the Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support.
HOW DO CROWN SURGES HAPPEN?
According to experts, a crowd surge occurs mainly due to a lack of space. During any kind of event, the crowd’s density should be based on the size of the venue. Having enough room for everyone should be kept in mind, and large enough gaps are needed for people to move.
According to experts, people often die due to lack of oxygen and not because they get trampled.
One reason a crowd surge is different from a stampede is that there is movement only from one direction in the latter. In a surge, you have people moving from two approaches, hitting each other.
The situation gets even worse when people fall, which causes a pileup. This means that there is pressure from above as well.
LAWSUITS
Rappers Travis Scott and Drake have been sued for “inciting mayhem” that led to the death of eight people and grievously injured others.
Texas law firm Thomas J. Henry Law tweeted a story published by the Daily Mail on the suit on Sunday and confirmed that it had filed “one of the first lawsuits in the Travis Scott Astroworld Festival tragedy.“
The first complainant is a 23-year-old concertgoer Kristian Paredes, who was “severely injured” at the concert on November 5.
Around 50,000 people were present at NRG Park when the crowd started surging towards the stage as Scott was performing, which triggered a chaotic situation.
Texas-resident Paredes is also suing the concert organizers Live Nation and the venue. He “felt an immediate push” at the front of the general admission section as Travis Scott got on stage, the complaint said.
“The crowd became chaotic and a stampede began,” it went on.
“Many begged security guards hired by Live Nation Entertainment for help, but were ignored.”
The suit, filed in Houston’s Harris County court, claims Scott “had incited mayhem and chaos at prior events” and that “defendants knew or should have known of (Scott’s) prior conduct.”
The suit also accuses Canadian rap superstar Drake, who joined Scott’s headline set, of causing the surge toward the stage.
“As Drake came onstage alongside of Travis Scott, he helped incite the crowd even though he knew of Travis Scott’s prior conduct,” the complaint charges.
He continued to perform even as the “crowd became out of control” and the “crowd mayhem continued,” it added.
