At least eight people have been confirmed dead and dozens injured after a crowd surge on the opening night of a music festival in Houston, Texas.
According to CNN, about 50,000 people attended the Astroworld Festival organised by Travis Scott, the American rapper, and panic broke out after the crowd began to press towards the front of the stage.
The festival, which was held outside NRG Park, Houston, was said to have been filled up when the incident happened around 9 pm on Friday.
“We had scores of individuals that were injured,” Sam Peña, Houston fire chief, said.
“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.
“People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.”
Eleven people were taken to hospitals in cardiac arrest while eight were confirmed dead.
Scott launched the festival in 2018 to, according to him, “bring back the beloved spirit and nostalgia of AstroWorld, making a childhood dream of Travis’ come true.”
The 2021 edition is billed for a two-day event but has now been cancelled following the tragedy.
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