Houston authorities revealed this Saturday afternoon that among the fatal victims of Friday night's stampede at the Astroworld festival are
two minors aged 14 and 16
, as well as two adults aged 21, two aged 23 and one of 27.
Six of the eight families have already been notified, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner reported at an afternoon news conference.
In addition, five minors and 20 adults were hospitalized after the stampede, of whom 13 are still receiving medical care at the hospital,
including a 10-year-old boy who is in critical condition.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner at a press conference this Saturday, November 6, 2021 after the death of eight people at the Astroworld music festival.Alex Bierens de Haan / Getty Images
"I am not aware of such an incident in which someone has lost their life in the last 40 years," said Turner, adding that nothing of this magnitude had ever been seen in Houston.
The high school of one of the deceased minors, identified as a ninth grade student, sent a message to the community extending its condolences to the family for his sensitive loss.
[Authorities find Christopher, the 3-year-old boy who disappeared in Texas, alive]
Our hearts go out to the student's family, friends, and our staff.
Memorial High School
“Our hearts go out to the student's family, friends, and our staff at Memorial.
This is a terrible loss, and the entire MHS family is suffering today, ”the institute said in the statement.
For Shawn Little, one of those attending Friday's concert, the compression the crowd elicited made her feel helpless and desperate.
“There were a lot of people in my section who were screaming and having panic attacks, because it felt like an elevator was falling on us.
And there was nothing you could do, "Little said in an interview with
The Associated Press
news agency
.
The hardest thing was breathing "
Gerardo García attending the festival
As Gerardo García, another of those attending the festival, told Noticias Telemundo, "the most difficult thing was to breathe."
"Everyone was pushing, you were compressing. There were a lot of people who were falling," he added.
Travis Scott performs on the first day of the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, on Friday, November 5, 2021. Amy Harris / Inivision / AP
Rapper Travis Scott reacted to the tragedy in which eight people lost their lives Friday night during a concert he gave as part of the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas.
The musician assured that he is "absolutely devastated by what happened last night. My prayers are with the families and with all the people affected by what happened at the Astroworld festival."
"I am committed to continuing to work with the Houston community to heal and support the families of those who died," he added.
Around 10:00 pm CST, part of the crowd that attended the concert, estimated at about 50,000 in all, began to move to the front of the stage, strongly compressing the scarce space between those already there. there, as indicated by the authorities.
"That caused some panic and began to cause some injuries. People began to fall, there were fainting, and that caused more panic,"
said the head of the Houston Fire Department, Samuel Peña, at a press conference in the morning.
[A former student shoots a worker at a Houston school]
According to authorities, more than 300 people received some form of medical attention at the concert venue on Friday night.
At least 11 of the attendees who were taken to hospitals suffered cardiac arrest after they fell and were trampled on the ground by those trying to escape.
"I saw blood, blood on my face, I saw people crying, it was crazy," Nathaniel Nafzeger, a witness to the tragedy, told Noticias Telemundo.
I saw blood, blood on the face, I saw people crying, it was crazy "
Nathaniel Nafzeger as
The festival, which is in its third year, started on Friday and was expected to be a two-day event, but authorities said
Saturday's programming had been canceled
.
"We are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking loss of life and pain experienced by all those affected by this tragedy," a spokesman for the concert venue NRG Park said in a statement.
"We are fully cooperating and working closely with the police and local authorities as they investigate how this tragedy occurred at the Astroworld Festival."