At least eight people are dead, including, reportedly, a 10 year old boy, 23 hospitalized, and hundreds more treated for injuries after Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival in Houston last night at NRG Park.
According to photo and video accounts on social media, the festival had been experiencing lapses in security and safety throughout the day, beginning with a stampede through entrance security less than an hour after the festival began.
XXL shared a video from the entrance where a massive bottleneck caused people to be trampled upon entry, while Mycah Hatfield from local ABC 13 shared a video from the following security checkpoint where there were only three staff present to, presumably, check credentials from incoming attendees.
Fans just broke through the fence to get into #AstroWorldpic.twitter.com/mpi70ZzTOs
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) November 5, 2021
As we were arriving to the Astroworld Festival at NRG Park right at 2:00, a stampede burst through the gates. Hundreds of people destroyed the VIP security entrance, bypassing the checkpoint. People were trampled. Some were detained.
(Excuse any language you may hear) pic.twitter.com/d0m2rjqAAk
— Mycah Hatfield (@MycahABC13) November 5, 2021
According to KHOU 11 news, during Scott’s set, which began at 8:45, “the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused panic and people were getting injured. HFD transported 17 people to hospitals. 11 of those transported were in cardiac arrest.”
HFD Chief Sam Pena: At around 9 or 9:15, the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused panic and people were getting injured. HFD transported 17 people to hospitals. 11 of those transported were in cardiac arrest.
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) November 6, 2021
One account from an ICU nurse who was in attendance describes the pandemonium as she fell unconscious during the concert due to all the people pushing forward. She was crowdsurfed toward the front where she was taken “to a little section behind GA” where others were being treated for injuries.
According to her account, multiple people were unconscious and receiving CPR, some who didn’t require it as she describes no one was checking pulses. Medical equipment was also allegedly sparse and those who were put in charge were un- or under-trained to handle the situation.
After all of this, Astroworld released a statement at around 6am local time offering the equivalent of thoughts and prayers, and announced that the second day of the festival would be cancelled. Replies were turned off.
— ASTROWORLD FEST (@astroworldfest) November 6, 2021
Scott shared his own statement this morning, literally offering his prayers. “Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”
— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) November 6, 2021
Photo via Rukes.com