HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 06: Festival patrons are seen looking at flowers outside of the canceled Astroworld festival at NRG Park on November 6, 2021 in Houston, Texas. According to authorities, eight people died and 17 people were transported to local hospitals after what they describe as a crowd surge at the Astroworld festival, a music festival started by Houston-native rapper and musician Travis Scott in 2018. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
Authorities are looking into reports of someone seen injecting people with some sort of drug in the crowd before eight people were killed during a stampede at a music festival in Houston, Texas.
Eight people were killed and more than 300 others were injured during the Astroworld Music Festival on Friday. Fans who lined up to watch rapper Travis Scott perform, quickly pleaded for the show to stop after an estimated 50,000 people in the crowd began to stampede towards the front of the stage.
What initiated the stampede has yet to be confirmed, but the push triggered a panic. Authorities said people began to fall out and become unconscious, creating even more panic.
“Once we started having the mass casualty incident, they were starting CPR on several people, and it happened all at once,” said Executive Chief of the Houston Police Larry Satterwhite. “It seemed like it happened over the course of just a few minutes. Suddenly, we had several people down on the ground experiencing some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode.”
Chief of Police Troy Finner confirms that during the Astroworld Festival a member of security lost consciousness after feeling a prick in his neck.
He was revived with Narcan and medical staff who treated him noticed a mark that could have been from an injection. pic.twitter.com/6pQ5IFV0jw
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 6, 2021
Houston Police said approximately two dozen people were rushed to area hospitals and at least 11 were in cardiac arrest while being transported, some being as young as 10-years-old. Additionally, more than 300 patients were treated at a field hospital location set up near the festival.
“It seemed like it happened with just over the course of just a few minutes,” said Satterwhite. “Suddenly, we had several people down on the ground, experienced some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode.”
“There is somebody dead.”
“Stop the show. Stop the show. Stop the show.”
And the #AstroWorld show continuedpic.twitter.com/uHJKGiSosX
— David Leavitt (@David_Leavitt) November 6, 2021
Witnesses said fans were screaming at the stage crew trying to stop the concert, but no one listened. At some point the show stopped and Saturday Travis Scott tweeted he was devastated with what took place, adding his prayers go out to all of the families impacted.
The multi-day festival was cancelled for the rest of the weekend and authorities have opened an investigation into the tragic incident. In the meantime, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott (Texas) announced he directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to make all resources available to support the probe.
Source: One America News Network
