The rapper Travis Scott said he was devastated after eight people died at his Astroworld music festival and urged those with information to contact the authorities as at least two investigations began, one of them criminal.
Eight people ranging in age from 14 to 27 were killed and dozens were injured at the Houston festival on Friday in a rush toward the stage shortly after 9pm, while Scott was performing.
Officials said autopsies were being performed as soon as possible so bodies could be returned to families. Identities of some of the dead were expected to be released on Sunday.
Investigators planned to review video footage to find out what caused the surge towards the front of the crowd and why individuals appeared to be trapped in the crush.
Initial analysis by the Washington Post suggested the concert continued for about an hour after the first audience members appeared to be in distress. Material examined by the newspaper recorded several attempts being made by individuals to sound the alarm, only to be drowned out by Scott’s performance.
In statements on Twitter and Instagram, Scott said police had his complete support as they “look into this tragic loss of life” and that he would work to “heal and support” families in need. He said he could “just not imagine the severity of the situation” from the stage.
“I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld festival,” he said.
“Anytime I can make out anything that’s going on, ya know, I stop the show and you know, help them get the help they need. I could just not imagine the severity of the situation.
“To the ones that was lost last night, we’re working right now to ID the families so we can help assist them through this tough time … If you have any information please just contact the local authorities.”
Lina Hildago, the Harris county judge, called for an “objective, independent” investigation.
“Perhaps the plans were inadequate. Perhaps the plans were good but they weren’t followed,” she said. “The families of those who died, everybody affected, deserves answers.
“When we read these ages – 14, 16, 21, 21, 23, 23, 27 – it just breaks your heart and I know that the images we’ve seen are hard to stomach and I imagine more will surface that are hard to stomach.”
The Houston city police chief, Troy Finner, said his department had opened a criminal investigation by homicide and narcotics detectives, after reports that somebody in the audience had injected people with drugs.
The city’s fire chief, Samuel Peña, said several concertgoers had to be revived with the anti-drug overdose medicine Narcan, including a security officer who appeared to have been injected in the neck.
Finner told reporters there were “a lot of narratives out there right now” about alleged criminal behaviour among festivalgoers.
“I think that all of us need to be respectful of the families and make sure that we follow the facts and evidence and that’s what we’re trying to do here in the Houston police department,” he said.
Scott, 29, who is from Houston, founded the Astroworld festival in 2018 and it has taken place at NRG Park each year since except for 2020. His performance on Friday was livestreamed by Apple Music. The Houston Chronicle reported that he stopped a number of times during the 75-minute set when he spotted fans in distress, asking security to help. Emergency vehicles, with lights flashing and alarms sounding, cut through the crowd.
A senior Houston police officer, Larry Satterwhite, who was near the front, said it seemed the surge “happened all at once”.
“Suddenly we had several people down on the ground, experiencing some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode,” he said. “And so we immediately started doing CPR, and moving people right then, and that’s when I went and met with the promoters and they agreed to end early in the interest of public safety.”
Niaara Goods, 28, of New York, who travelled to Texas to see friends and celebrate a birthday, said the crowd surged as a timer clicked down to the start of the performance.
“As soon as he jumped out on the stage, it was like an energy took over and everything went haywire,” she said. “All of a sudden, your ribs are being crushed. You have someone’s arm in your neck. You’re trying to breathe but you can’t.”
She said she and her friends, one of whom was punched on the head and jaw, were separated but all escaped. She said she was so desperate to get out she bit a man on the shoulder to get him to move.
“Some people are laughing at us, those who are screaming to get out, because they thought it was funny. They didn’t realise it was terror,” she said.
Later, after getting to safety, she saw some of those injured being moved on gurneys or in wheelchairs.
“It was literally the scariest night of my life. I literally thought I was going to die trying to get out. That’s just not what you pay for,” she said.
Seventeen people were taken to hospital, including 11 in cardiac arrest, Peña said. Promoters had arranged for medical units to be on the scene but they were quickly overwhelmed. More than 300 people were treated in a field hospital. Peña said one person hurt was 10 years old. About 50,000 people attended the event, he added.
It was the highest number of accidental deaths at an official US concert venue since the Station nightclub fire, which killed 100 in Rhode Island in 2003.
In a statement, organisers said: “Our hearts are with the Astroworld festival family tonight, especially those we lost and their loved ones.”
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
