(Houston) “In a hurry”, “trampled”: crowd movement left eight dead and many injured on Friday at Astroworld music festival in Texas, southern United States, authorities calling for further investigation into the tragedy .
“I saw people jump the barriers and they could not breathe, it was horrible,” Gavyn Flores, who attended the concert of rapper Travis Scott in Houston, told AFP on Saturday, during which the drama occurred .
“I was at the end of a barrier, people were trying to get out, but we couldn’t move,” said the 18-year-old. “We had to try to hold out against all odds because we were being pushed. ”
At around 9 p.m. local time, the festival crowd started to rush to the front of the stage, causing panic and first injuries, then people fell, passed out, causing a stir. further panic, authorities reported overnight from Friday to Saturday.
PHOTO FROM TWITTER ACCOUNT @ONACASELLA VIA REUTERS
An ambulance pushes its way through the crowd.
They reported a death toll of eight and more than 300 people treated for injuries on the spot, including minor bruises and bruises.
At least 17 people had to be transferred to hospital, 11 of whom were in cardiac arrest, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said at a press conference outside NRG Park, where the event.
“People on the ground”
“People were in a hurry, trampled and when I managed to push my way out of it, I saw people on the ground,” another witness, Logan Morris, told AFP.
In total, nearly 50,000 people were in the crowd to attend the Astroworld festival where more than 360 police officers and 240 security guards were mobilized.
Houston police have announced the opening of an investigation to determine the causes of this tragedy, adding that they were examining the video footage of the evening.
“For 30 years that major events have taken place in this city or in the structures of the county, never such a thing had happened”, assured the mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, on the CNN channel.
“We want a detailed account of what happened,” he added, saying all avenues would be explored and that organizers and witnesses were currently being questioned.
“Our thoughts are with the festival family tonight, especially those we have lost and their loved ones,” said the event organizers.
ASSOCIATED PRESS / KTRK SCREEN CAP
Many emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene.
American rapper Travis Scott, who launched the Astroworld festival in 2018, said he was “absolutely devastated” in a statement released on Saturday.
Resuscitation scenes
PHOTO DANIEL KRAMER, REUTERS
The 30-year-old Texas-born artist has been nominated eight times for the Grammy Awards. He has a child with Kylie Jenner, one of the daughters of the Kardashian clan and reality TV star.
According to the daily The Houston Chronicle, Travis Scott has repeatedly stopped his concert when he saw spectators in trouble near the stage.
Images of NRG Park circulating on social media showed dozens of people rushing to exits, stepping over and knocking down metal detectors, facing outnumbered security guards unable to contain the crowds.
We could see many people fall, without it being possible to say that it is in this context that the deaths occurred.
Other videos showed rescuers resuscitating oblivious fans in the middle of the audience, as the concert continued.
The rest of the festival, which was scheduled to continue on Saturday, has been canceled. Other artists scheduled to perform over the weekend included rappers Chief Keef and 21 Savage, as well as Australian rock band Tame Impala.