At least eight people died and numerous others were injured in what officials described as a surge of the crowd at the Astroworld music festival in Houston while rapper Travis Scott was performing.
Officials declared a “mass casualty incident” just after 9 p.m. Friday during the festival where an estimated 50,000 people were in attendance, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña told reporters at a news conference.
The show was called off shortly thereafter. The fire chief said “scores of individuals” were injured.
Officials transported 17 people to hospitals, including 11 who were in cardiac arrest. It isn't clear whether all eight who died were among the 17 that had been transported to hospitals.
Kylie Jenner who was at the concert has been criticized for filming the show, despite seeing ambulances trying to make their way to the victims. Both Kylie and Travis have issued statements offering their condolences to the families of the deceased.
Astroworld is a two-day music festival that was scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday in Houston. The event was sold out, according to the Astroworld website. Saturday’s performances have been canceled.
This is not the first time a stampede broke out at rapper Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston. Back in 2019, a similar incident took place, leaving several fans injured.
Also Watch: Fans injured in stampede at rapper Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival