"I'm honestly just devastated... I could never imagine anything like this just happening," rapper Travis Scott spoke out for the first time since the terrible tragedy that unfolded at the Astroworld Music Festival on Friday, November 5 night. Scott addressed the stampede that took place during the opening night of his concert resulting in the death of 8 people. "My fans really mean the world to me and I always want to leave them with a positive experience, " the rapper said Saturday, November 6 night on his Instagram stories.
The crowd at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston, Texas "began to compress" towards the stage in a surge during Scott's performance causing a stampede that killed 8 and injured hundreds. "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," the rapper said Saturday. Five of the eight deceased at the event are identified as of yet.
Danish Baig, 27, died saving a family member
Danish Baig was killed in the stampede while he was trying to rescue his sister-in-law at the event. Danish's brother, Basil Baig said that the event was "managed poorly" and "supervised by horrible people," in a Facebook post. "My brother tried to save my sister-in-law from these horrendous acts that were being done to her in the process he lost his life," Basil wrote. He described Danish as a "beautiful soul" who would "put everyone before himself."
Basil, who also attended the event, said that fans were "were hitting pushing and shoving" and were "provoked" by Scott, who continued to perform amid the surge.
A University of Dayton student, 21-year-old Franco Patino also lost his life
Illinois native, Franco Patino was a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, a Hispanic interest fraternity. He was identified as one of the eight people who were killed during the stampede. Patino was a mechanical engineering technology major at the University of Dayton. He was active in the Greek and MEC communities on campus and was a member of the Society of Hispanic Engineers at UD. Patino also worked in an engineering co-op program at Mason.
Two high school students died in the disaster
Houston area high school student, 14-year-old John Hilgert, who attended the event with his friends was the youngest victim of the stampede, according to the Houston Chronicle. "John was a good student and athlete and so polite. He was the sweetest and smartest young man," Tracy Faulkner, John's friend's mother who bought him his ticket, told the outlet.
Another Houston high school junior, 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez also died in the incident, according to PEOPLE magazine. "It is with profound sadness we lay to rest our beloved Brianna Rodriguez ... Dancing was her passion and now she's dancing her way to heaven's pearly gates," Rodriguez's family wrote on Facebook.
'Rudy Pena was a big fan of Travis Scott'
Texas resident, Rudy Pena, whose age is not known at the moment was another one of the fans who died during the stampede, according to the Laredo Morning Times. "My brother was the sweetest person, friendly, outgoing, he had many friends because he was always there for everyone. Yes, he was a big fan of Travis, he loved his music," Pena's sister told LMT.
Police are working to identify other victims as the investigation into the cause of the incident goes on. "We've been working closely with everyone to just try to get to the bottom of this," Travis Scott said. "If you have any information please just contact the local authorities." He then promised his fans that he would keep them informed about the investigation. "Every just continue to keep your prayers," he added.
