What was billed as an incredible night of music, the Travis Scott Astroworld Festival devolved into a catastrophic mass casualty event. As of 1:00 a.m., at least eight people have been reported killed and hundreds more injured at what is being called as an Astroworld Fest mass casualty event. The tragic deaths and injuries were not the result of a shooting. Rather, the deadly catastrophe arose from a crowd stampede.
The Houston Fire Department announced that it was responding to multiple Astro Fest civilian casualties before midnight Friday-Saturday night. Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena told reporters in the early hours of Saturday morning that a crowd of Astro Fest concertgoers began to compress onto the front of the stage. The growing compression of concertgoers at the stage ultimately resulted in panic among those on hand at the event held at the Houston NGR Park. A stampede of concertgoers resulted.
Within a matter of minutes, after the horrific Astroworld Fest stampede began, concertgoers suffered substantial and even fatal injuries. Because this is an ongoing mass casualty event, information remains incomplete about the deadly night at Houston NGR Park. What is known at this time includes:
- At least eight people have been killed as a consequence of the Astroworld Fest mass casualty event
- Sadly, the death toll is expected to rise as emergency personnel continue to work at NRG Park
- Over 300 people have been identified as being injured as a result of the Astroworld Fest stampede
- An unknown number of concertgoers have been rushed to Houston area hospitals
- At least 11 of the people at the concert were taken to the hospital as a result of cardiac arrest
- The status of the multiple hospitalized individuals is not yet known
- The age of the youngest person taken to an area medical center with injuries appears to be a 10-year-old-child
- Scott Travis Astroworld Festival was slated to run on November 5 and 6, with the deadly disaster happening during the first night of performances
- The remainder of Houston Astroworld Fest has been canceled
Before the deadly crush of concertgoers, many people in attendance at the Astroworld Festival rushed the gates at NRG Park. This crowd of people knocked down barricades and entrance gates. They were able to gain access to the concert grounds by storming past security guards and metal detectors.
There were injuries as a result of the afternoon incident at the gates, which perhaps foreshadowed the deadly mass casualty event that would occur later during the festival. The injuries sustained in the afternoon generally appear to have been more minor. It is unclear as to whether anyone had to be taken to a hospital as a result of the afternoon gate incident.
If you have questions about the Astroworld Fest mass casualty event and the rights of concertgoers, the Houston Doan Law Firm has set up a helpline at (832) 835-0000. We will keep the Astroworld Fest lawyer hotline staffed 24 hours a day and seven days a week to assist those with questions and concerns about the catastrophe.
There is no cost to consult with an Astroworld Fest lawyer. In addition to visiting with an Astroworld Fest lawyer by phone, a virtual appointment can be arranged online. In addition, an Astroworld Fest lawyer is available any time at our Houston offices at The Doan Law Firm, 1 Riverview, Suite 2500, Houston, Texas 77056, (832) 835-0000.