CBS News
Rapper Travis Scott said he is “absolutely devastated” after a crowd surge during his sold-out Astroworld music festival in Houston left eight people dead and several others injured.
“My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival,” he said in a tweet on Saturday. “Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”
“I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need,” he added.
The events unfolded Friday at around 9:15 p.m. local time (10:15 p.m. ET) when “the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage,” Fire Chief Samuel Peña said at a news conference early Saturday.
“That caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries. People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic,” he said, adding that a cause of death was not yet known for the eight victims but would be determined.
Seventeen people were transported to hospitals after the crush, and 11 who were taken by ambulance were in cardiac arrest, officials said. They added that more than 300 people were treated throughout the event Friday at an on-site field hospital.
Around 50,000 people were at the event at NRG Park, which was hosted by Scott. The festival, which is in its third year, kicked off Friday and was expected to be a two-day event, but officials said Saturday’s lineup had been canceled…
