At least eight people have died and hundreds more injured after thousands of revellers surged towards the stage at rapper Travis Scott'...
At least eight people have died and hundreds more injured after thousands of revellers surged towards the stage at rapper Travis Scott's sold-out Astroworld Festival in Texas.
An estimated 50,000 people showed up for the two-day event which was cancelled last year due to Covid. But Friday night's show was called off after chaos broke out just after 9pm local time, and the music festival's second day has now been scrapped.
Thousands of revellers surged towards the stage while Scott was performing at NRG Park in Houston, leading to a crush. The rapper's girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, was also watching his set. However, she was not near the front and there is no suggestion that she was injured.
Harrowing footage on social media shows paramedics performing CPR on several people on the floor within the crowd. Seventeen people were taken to hospitals, with 11 of those in cardiac arrest, while others were treated at a field hospital in the park.
It is feared that hundreds, including children as young as 10, were injured. Officials in Texas confirmed eight people were killed but insisted that the cause of death was unknown and urged people not to 'speculate' about the chain of events that sparked the tragedy.
'We had at least eight confirmed fatalities tonight and scores of individuals that were injured,' Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said.
'The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries. People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.'
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner added: 'I think it's very important that none of us speculate. Nobody has all the answers tonight. If you don't have facts, if you don't have evidence, I'm not going to speak against that. We have hurting families out here.'
The deadly surge was the most deaths at a US concert since the 2003 Station nightclub fire that killed 100 people in Rhode Island.
Eleven people died and about two dozen were injured in 1979 at a concert for The Who as thousands of fans tried to get into Cincinnati's riverfront coliseum.
Officials were seen giving CPR to an Astroworld attendee late Friday night
Multiple ambulances and other personnel were seen at NRG Park on Friday
An ambulance is seen in the crowd during the Astroworld music festiwal in Houston
Travis Scott performing onstage during the third annual Astroworld Festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas on November 5, 2021
Scott performs at Day 1 of the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park on November 5, 2021
Travis Scott performs at Day 1 of the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park
Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite said: 'It happened all at once.
'It seemed like it just 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.
Astroworld organisers canceled the rest of the festival, scheduled to continue on Saturday.
'Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight - especially those we lost and their loved ones,' they said on the event's Instagram page. 'We are focused on supporting local officials'.
Drake joined Scott on-stage at the concert - which was live-streamed by Apple Music - and posted photos to Instagram after the performance.
The Houston Chronicle said Scott stopped multiple times during his 75-minute performance when he spotted fans in distress near the front of the stage.
He asked security to make sure they were OK and help them out of the crowd. In a video posted to social media, Scott could be seen stopping the concert at one point and asking for aid for someone in the audience: 'Security, somebody help real quick.'
Scott's girlfriend Kylie Jenner and their daughter Stormi Webster watched the rapper perform in front of the huge crowd at his Astroworld festival.
Jenner shared some short videos and photos from the festival, including a special trailer with Stormi's name affixed to the door.
The three-year-old joined her mother in the crowd in another video that showed Scott's high-energy performance, featuring incredible pyrotechnics. They were not near the stage and there is no suggestion that either of them were injured.
The Houston Chronicle quoted Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo as calling it an 'extremely tragic night.'
A handout photo made available by the Houston Fire Department showing Chief Samuel Pena and Harris County leaders briefing the media in regards to a stampede on the opening night of a music festival in Houston
Left: Jenner and Scott's three-year-old daughter Stormi joined her mother in the crowd in another video that showed the rapper's high-energy performance. They were not near the front and there is no suggestion either of them were hurt. Right: Jenner illustrated Stormi's VIP experience by snapping a photo of her trailer
Astroworld is rapper Travis Scott's sold-out music festival featuring numerous acts
A stampede broke out earlier in the day as people burst through the gates at NRG Park
Some people were trampled in the chaos, but the stampede does not appear to be related to the multiple injuries related Friday night
SZA performs at Day 1 of the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park on Friday
A medical examiner will investigate the cause of death at the festival. The deceased had not been identified as of early Saturday.
Officials set up a reunification centre at a hotel for family members who had not been able to reach relatives in attendance at the festival. The Houston Fire Department earlier said in a tweet that it was on scene after receiving reports of multiple civilian injuries.
Astroworld is rapper Scott's music festival and is being attended by a host of celebrities, including Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner. Tickets sold for $180 for general admission and $490 for 'stargazer' tickets.
Footage from NRG park circulating on social media showed scores of people rushing the gates with security at the gates unable to contain the flow.
Several people could be seen falling over, bringing down the metal detectors at the arena entrance but it is unclear if that incident was linked to the deaths.
However, authorities said more than 300 people were injured throughout the day at the event, including those with minor scrapes and bruises.
An ABC News reporter from Houston's local affiliate, Mycah Hatfield, had reported via Twitter that chaos ensued during day one of the festival as soon as doors opened at 2 p.m.
'A stampede burst through the gates. Hundreds of people destroyed the VIP security entrance, bypassing the checkpoint. People were trampled. Some were detained,' she wrote of the scene at NRG Park.
One person who was detained by security told ABC13: 'I just really wanted to be inside the festival so bad.'
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