Travis Scott ‘absolutely devastated’ by concert deaths
Travis Scott has said he is “absolutely devastated” by the deaths and injuries at his Astroworld Festival concert in Houston, Texas.
Eight people have been killed and as many as 300 injured in a crush during his opening night show at the event on Friday night.
He described the incident as a “tragic loss of life” and pledged “total support” to the police as they investigate the incident.
Scott said: “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.”
The fire department transported 17 people to hospital, with 11 in cardiac arrest, said Houston fire chief Samuel Peña.
He revealed at around 9pm the crowd began to push toward the front of the stage, causing panic and injuries.
The situation escalated until 9:38 p.m. when a “mass casualty incident” was triggered.
There was a field hospital set up at the site, but first aiders were overwhelmed by the sheer number of casualties.
The Houston Chronicle reports the music artist stopped his performance on stage on multiple occasions.
Scott asked security to help people in distress near the front of the stage.
Astroworld is an annual two-day event held at NRG Park since 2018, which was suspended last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A crowd of 50,000 people showed up for the concert this year, but the second day has now been cancelled.