(ANSA) - ROME, NOVEMBER 06 - At least eight people died and hundreds of others were injured last night during the Astroworld Festival music festival in Houston, in the State of Texas: the firefighters made it known, according to reports from the BBC.
The victims were crushed against the stage on the first day of the musical event. "The public - explained the head of the fire brigade of Houston, Samuel Peña - was compressed against the stage and panic broke out". Eleven people were hospitalized without heart failure and eight of them died. About 300 of the 5,000 people present sustained minor injuries and were treated on the spot.
"It was an extremely tragic night," said LinaHidalgo, a Harris County judge.
"Our hearts are broken," he continued.
According to the HoustonChronicle newspaper, rapper Travis Scott - the founder of the festival - interrupted his performance several times when he saw some of his fans in trouble at the foot of the stage and asked security members to help them.
Emergency services vehicles made their way through the crowds with sirens blaring more than once to rescue them, the newspaper said.
The organizers stopped the event when they realized the gravity of the situation.
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