HOUSTON, 8 Nov : Amidst the number of Covid-19 cases rising within the country, over 50,000 fans and “ragers” gathered at Houstons’ NRG Park for Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival on Nov. 5. The festival, known for its climaxes of exuberant energy, ended in tragedy as 8 people have been confirmed dead while dozens were left hospitalised.
Amongst the 8 casualties, two of the victims were teens aged 14 and 16 who were caught up in the crushing hoards of people storming into the venue. Travis continued his performance whilst being unaware of his fans receiving care from medical personnel.
The victims are said to have perished near the stage when the crowd surged forward, with some suffering cardiac arrests and other medical traumas.
Houston city police have launched a criminal investigation as a festival security guard’s account that they were pricked in the neck with needles containing Narcan, a drug used to treat opioid overdoses, while trying to secure the crowd.
A fault within the concerts security was in questioning as an attendee told Complex News that bags were not checked and members of security were overwhelmed as the gates were piled down by the crowd. Fans were also seen disrupting medical personnel from escorting the injured out of the venue by jumping onto ambulances.
In the past, Travis Scott has always been known to encourage his fans to rage in utter conundrum and chaos while regularly commencing mosh pits during his live events. The 30-year old artist was charged for disorderly conduct in 2015 and 2017 after a series of injuries from the crowd and security.
His Netflix documentary, “Travis Scott: Look Mum I Can Fly”, is arguably devoted to his fans’ debauchery as ton of clips showed violence erupting in the vicinity of his concerts.
Travis has since posted a video on his social media accounts proclaiming: “I could just not imagine the severity of the situation.”
His former spouse, Kylie Jenner, released a statement on Sunday stating: “Travis and I are broken and devastated. My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in any way by yesterday’s events.”
-AP News-
