The opening night of Travis Scott's concert at Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas proved to be deadly as a crowd surge caused a stampede that killed 8 and injured more than 300 on Friday, November 5 night. Travis Scott was seen continue performing while 'calling for help' during the 'mass casualty event'.
None of those killed or injured have been identified as of yet. Police have set a 'reunification center' at the local Wyndham Hotel and asked those who have not heard from family/friends/acquaintances who attended the event to report to the reunification center. A medical examiner's investigation is awaited to determine the cause of death of those killed.
People were filmed begging the concert staff to stop the performance and help people escape the surge at one point. The stampede reportedly occurred around 9 pm Friday night and the show was halted shortly as the crowd got out of control. According to reports, the event's tickets went on sale back in May and around 100,000 tickets sold out within an hour to see the famous rapper perform.
Travis Scott continued performing while asking for help
The rapper was filmed continuing performing as he stood on a platform with his microphone and called for help in the midst of his performance as chaos in the crowd unfolded beneath him. Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite, who was posted at the front of the crowd said it seemed the stampede "happened all at once." Authorities noted that a surge came around 9:15 pm during which a part of the crowd "began to compress" to the front stage.
Was the Astroworld tragedy a targeted attack?
Although it is still not clear what caused the accident, authorities suggested some 'foul play' could be involved. According to TMZ, a 'key person' connected to Astroworld stated that the stampede was the result of a "targeted attack" after "someone in the crowd went crazy and began injecting people with some sort of drug, which caused panic and then a surge." Houston Police Chief Troy Finner also noted that authorities have "heard rumors of people injecting people with drugs" at the show. However, he added that "it's very important that none of us speculate."
Kylie Jenner shamed for posting photos of the 'Astroworld tragedy'
Travis Scott's girlfriend, Kylie Jenner posted pictures and videos from the show on her Instagram handle and Social Media seemed to be pissed off for her "insensitivity". "Kylie Jenner posting an Astroworld story as a medic car is transporting bodies something is wrong with that woman," one person tweeted.
According to Houston Chronicle, this was not the first time the concert's producer Live Nation Worldwide and Live Nation Entertainment came under scrutiny for OSHA safety and antitrust violations. The company has previously faced charges stemming from 16 violations and paid more than $83M in penalties. According to its website, the company puts on 40,000 shows per year.
