November 7, 2021 – In Breaking News – CNN
Following a crowd surge at a Houston concert that left at least eight people dead and dozens injured, authorities will examine key causes behind the surge and what could have been done to get attendees out of harm’s way, police said Saturday.
The crowd at the sold-out Astroworld Festival on Friday night was so tightly packed that when audience members were pushed toward the stage, some told CNN that they were crushed against each other to the point where they couldn’t breathe and passed out.
(Police are investigating a tragedy at a Houston concert where at least eight people were killed and dozens were injured when a crowd surged forward at the “Astroworld” music festival. Courtesy of MSNBC and YouTube. Posted on Nov 6, 2021.)
Local officials vowed to launch an investigation into what led to the tragedy at the music festival headlined and organized by rapper Travis Scott, saying they will review video from the scene and assess how the venue was laid out.
The investigation will cover “what caused, one, the issue of the crowd surge, and two, what prevented people from being able to escape that situation,” Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said Saturday.
The Houston Police Department’s homicide and narcotics divisions are involved in the probe, but the investigation is not being treated as a criminal one, police said.
(A security guard may have been pricked while trying to grab an attendee before he went unconscious, according to HPD Chief Troy Finner. Courtesy of KHOU 11 and YouTube. Posted on Nov 7, 2021.)
“We are certainly looking at all of the video footage, we are talking to witnesses, we are talking to event organizers,” Houston mayor Sylvester Turner told CNN on Saturday.
“This happened at one of the county facilities last night, so we’re looking at everything.”
The chaos sent at least 25 people to the hospital, and 13 of them remained there Saturday afternoon, Turner said. Five of them are under the age of 18, he said.
The ages of the victims who died ranged from 14 to 27, and the age of one person who was killed remains unknown, Turner said.
(A memorial is growing outside NRG park for those who lost their lives Friday night. Courtesy of KPRC 2 Click2Houston and YouTube. Posted on Nov 6, 2021.)
The causes of their deaths are pending the medical examiner’s determination, Peña said.
With 50,000 people in attendance at NRG Park — the stadium complex where the Astrodome and the NRG Stadium stand — the crowd surge began unfolding after 9 p.m. CT on Friday.
“The crowd for whatever reason began to push and surge towards the front of the stage, which caused the people in the front to be compressed — they were unable to escape that situation,” Peña told CNN.
Continue reading… Authorities are investigating the causes behind a deadly crowd surge at the Astroworld music festival in Houston
What the hell—8 people died at the concert, ranging in age from 14 to 27, all crushed in the 50,000+ crowd. Yet the #AstroWorld #TravisScott concert continued amid ambulances and paramedics. ➡️Dystopian—no wonder so many also don’t even care about pandemic #COVID19 deaths either. https://t.co/AKozFLNXN7
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) November 7, 2021
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