Astroworld festival tragedy: minute by minute

An aerial view of the festival in Houston on Friday, before the deadly event.

7 posts

1 hour ago

"We did CPR on at least 11 people," says Houston fire chief

Houston Fire Chief Discusses Tragic Events at Astroworld 1:45

2 hours ago

Hear the Houston Chronicle music critic describe the scene

Credit: Amy Harris / Invision / AP

In his roughly 10 years of covering the Houston music scene, critic Joey Guerra has never witnessed something as tragic as what happened Friday night at the Astroworld festival.

"I've never seen a result on a show like this," Guerra told CNN by phone Saturday morning.

Guerra had arrived at the festival in the early afternoon and during the day saw a "normal festive atmosphere."

When Travis Scott took the stage later that night, Guerra was behind the audience and saw small emergency vehicles cutting through the crowd, but "for a festival, it didn't seem out of the ordinary."

"You see a lot of things like that, people who are carried out by exhaustion or dehydration or things like that," Guerra said.

"He stopped the show, I mean three or four times when he noticed distressed people."

Guerra said Scott sang for about 75 minutes before the set was stopped.

Listen to the @ HoustonChron's @joeyguerra explain what he saw + experienced at Astroworld where at least eight people died after a crowd surged forward during a @trvisXX performance https://t.co/dvd707ynSC

- Fernando Alfonso III (@fernalfonso) November 6, 2021

2 hours ago

Texas Governor Calls Astroworld Festival Incident "Tragic"

By Claudia Dominguez

Greg Abbott.

Credit: Brandon Bell / Getty Images

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement Saturday on what he says is the "tragic" event at the Astroworld festival that left eight dead and dozens of others injured after concert goers took the stage while Travis Scott of Houston acted.

"What happened last night at the Astroworld festival was tragic, and our hearts go out to those who lost their lives and those who were injured in the terrifying stampede of crowds," said Abbott.

"Thank you to the first responders and Good Samaritans who were on site and immediately treated the wounded in the crowd. The State of Texas stands ready to assist in the response, and I have directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to do the state resources available to support the investigation. "

2 hours ago

The Astroworld organizers thank the police and fire departments "for their response and support"

By Rosa Flores and Keith Allen

The organizers of the Astroworld Festival issued a statement this Saturday morning through their Twitter account following the death of at least eight people and dozens of injuries after a crowd took the stage at the Houston festival on Friday night. .

"Our hearts go out to the Astroworld Festival family tonight, especially those we lost and their loved ones," the statement said.

“We are focused on supporting local officials however we can.

With that in mind, the festival will no longer be held on Saturday. "

The statement continued: "As authorities mentioned in their previous press conference, they are investigating the series of cardiac arrests that took place. If you have relevant information on this, please contact @houstonpolice. Thanks to our partners in the Houston Police Department , Fire Department and NRG Park for their response and support. "

pic.twitter.com/ucljeOiMRn

- ASTROWORLD FEST (@astroworldfest) November 6, 2021

2 hours ago

Here's what we know about the Astroworld festival tragedy in Houston

By Andy Rose, Aya Elamroussi and Jason Hanna

At least eight people were killed and many others injured after a crowd marched onto a stage at the Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday night.

This is what we know:

Crowds surge:

 At least eight people were killed and many others injured after a crowd was pushed onto the stage when rapper Travis Scott was on the scene at the festival Friday night, authorities said. The live broadcast of the event showed Scott pausing his performance to watch in confusion as an ambulance with flashing lights pulled up to the venue.

"Dozens" Injured:

"We had dozens of people injured," Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said during a news conference Saturday morning. About 50,000 people were at the outdoor music festival at NRG Park - the stadium complex where the Astrodome and NRG Stadium are located - when the incident occurred shortly after 10:00 p.m. ET, they said. the functionaries. The festival had sold out. "The crowd, for whatever reason, began to push and move towards the front of the stage, which made the people in the front compress, they couldn't escape from that situation," Peña told CNN on Saturday morning. .

Investigation continues

: Investigators will review video of the scene and look at how the site was designed and if it had enough exit points, Peña said. The investigation will explore "what caused, one, the problem of the surge of crowds and two, what prevented people from escaping from that situation," said Peña. The causes of the deaths are pending the determination of the medical examiner, he said. Authorities canceled the second night of Saturday's concert.

Shared

condolences: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner expressed his condolences to the families of those who were killed and injured at the festival in a tweet posted early Saturday morning. “The City of Houston extends our condolences to the loved ones of 8 people killed and several injured at #ASTROWORLDFest. Organizers held the event to bring people together for music, but sadly it ended in tragedy. Thank you to the police, firefighters and other agencies that responded to help, ”the tweet read.

Previous issues

: In 2019, three people were trampled and hospitalized as thousands rushed into the festival.

The event, now in its third year, is hosted by Scott, a Houston native.

The festival was scheduled to run Friday through Saturday, according to the event's website.

2 hours ago

Houston City Officials Opened Hotline

By Keith Allen

The Houston Office of Emergency Management (OEM) established a hotline for people who have not been able to reach friends and family who attended the Astroworld Festival on Friday night, where at least eight people died. and others were injured when the crowd took the stage.

Houston OEM is asking those looking for loved ones to call (832) 393-2991 or (832) 393-2990, the agency noted on Twitter.

Saturday's event has been canceled.

Houston OEM said in another tweet.

2 hours ago

The mayor of Houston sends his condolences for the deceased and injured at the Astroworld festival

By Claudia Dominguez

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner expressed his condolences to the families of those who were killed and injured at the Astroworld festival in a tweet early Saturday morning.

“The City of Houston extends its condolences to the loved ones of 8 people killed and several injured at #ASTROWORLDFest.

Organizers held the event to bring people together for music, but sadly it ended in tragedy.

Thank you to the police, firefighters and other agencies that responded to help, ”the tweet read.

A total of 23 people were taken to area hospitals, and the youngest person injured in the incident was 10 years old, Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña told CNN on Saturday morning.

Authorities canceled the second night of the event on Saturday.

The city of Houston extends our condolences to the loved ones of 8 people killed & several injured at #ASTROWORLDFest.

Organizers held the event to bring people together for music, but it sadly ended in tragedy.

Thanks to police, fire & other agencies that responded to assist.

- Houston Mayor's Office (@houmayor) November 6, 2021