
<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> At least eight people were killed and 23 were taken to nearby hospitals Friday evening after a crowd at the Astroworld Festival in Houston “surged forward,” toward the front of the stage, according to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Of the 23 people taken to hospitals, 11 were in cardiac arrest, while more than<a href="https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/astroworld-houston-deaths-travis-scott/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;300 people</a>&nbsp;were treated at a field hospital set at the festival at NRG Park.</p>



<p>Rapper Travis Scott, a Houston native who first put on the festival in 2018, was on stage when the incident happened between 9 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. local time.</p>



<p>Around 50,000 people were in attendance, authorities said.</p>



<p>A crowd began to “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/astroworld-houston-deaths-travis-scott/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">push</a>&nbsp;and surge toward” the front of the stage for reasons that are not yet known, ultimately causing the attendees in front of the stage to be “compressed” and trapped, Pena told CNN.</p>



<p>Authorities are investigating what prompted the crowd to surge forward and what prevented people from escaping that situation.</p>



<p>Asked on MSNBC if concert-goers had used drugs, Pena said that he is<a href="https://www.msnbc.com/gibson-reiser/watch/president-biden-arrives-in-rome-for-meeting-with-g20-leaders-124981317567" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;waiting</a>&nbsp;for the medical examiners to determine the cause of death.</p>



<p>A command post for information on missing persons at the concert and a reunification center have been set up at the Wyndham Hotel and hotlines are: 832-393-2991 or 832-393-2990, the Houston Fire Department said.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TravisScott?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TravisScott</a> continued the concert with ambulances literally in the venue and people going into cardiac arrest…<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASTROWORLDFest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ASTROWORLDFest</a> <a href="https://t.co/EONzc5tnjU">pic.twitter.com/EONzc5tnjU</a></p>&mdash; thepibrew (@thepibrew) <a href="https://twitter.com/thepibrew/status/1457003931020709888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner expressed condolences to the families and friends of attendees who died and were injured. “Organizers held the event to bring people together for music, but it sadly ended in tragedy,” he said. Organizers of the event posted a<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CV7oUdHr1AC/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;statement</a>&nbsp;on Instagram that said: “Our hearts are with the Astroworld festival family tonight- especially those we lost and their loved ones. We are focused on supporting local officials however we can.” The second day of the two-day music festival has been canceled.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/11/06/us/houston-astroworld-festival/houston-astroworld-festival" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A crowd surge ‘caused some panic’ and injuries.</a>&nbsp;(<em>New York Times</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/astroworld-houston-deaths-travis-scott/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Many dead and injured at Astroworld Festival in Houston</a> (CNN)</p>



<p><strong><em>By <meta charset="utf-8">Lisa Kim, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Tracis Scott

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At Least 8 Dead And 23 Injured At Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival As Authorities Look Into What Caused Crowd To Push Forward