What to Know About the Houston Astroworld Tragedy

At slightest 8 radical were killed and dozens much were injured astatine a performance successful Houston aft a ample assemblage began pushing toward the beforehand of the signifier during a show by the hometown rapper Travis Scott.

The performance was portion of the Astroworld euphony festival, a two-day lawsuit that began connected Friday. About 50,000 radical were assembled determination connected Friday nighttime erstwhile the injuries occurred, according to the Houston Fire Department.

It appeared to beryllium 1 of the deadliest crowd-control disasters astatine a performance successful the United States successful galore years, recalling the 1979 crush extracurricular the doors of a amusement by the Who successful Cincinnati that left 11 radical dormant and stunned the nation.

Here’s what we cognize truthful far.

The origin of the surge remains nether investigation.

It was inactive unclear what prompted the assemblage to surge forward, but witnesses described a chaotic country earlier and during the concert, with galore radical successful the backmost trying to unreserved to the front. One concertgoer, Neema Djavadzadeh, said the lawsuit was “hectic from the beginning.”

“I got determination astir 3 and saw radical already struggling to basal straight,” she said. “There was a batch of mob mentality going on, radical consenting to bash immoderate to beryllium successful enactment for merch, food, shows, you sanction it. A batch of fights broke retired passim the day.”

The crush of the assemblage was truthful aggravated that it near nary country to move, immoderate attendees said.

“You tin virtually leap successful the aerial and you’re determination successful the aerial — it’s similar if your hands are up, your hands are staying up,” Vanessa Johnson, 20, said.

The signs of occupation were not instantly apparent.

Videos posted by concertgoers connected societal media showed a chaotic country adjacent the stage, with immoderate radical successful the assemblage pleading for assistance and others unaware of immoderate superior problems.

In 1 video, which was posted connected YouTube but had since been removed, Mr. Scott was onstage and heard telling the crowd: “I privation to spot immoderate rages. Who privation to rage?” Moments later, helium could beryllium heard saying, “There’s an ambulance successful the crowd, whoa, whoa, whoa,” seemingly trying to calm the commotion.

For respective seconds, determination was nary music. Mr. Scott looked toward the assemblage and the reddish and bluish lights of an ambulance could beryllium seen amid the oversea of people.

Then, Mr. Scott said, “If everybody good, enactment a mediate digit up successful the sky.” As the euphony resumed, Mr. Scott urged the assemblage to marque the “ground shake.”

The performance continued for astir different 30 minutes, past ended with Mr. Scott waving to the assemblage and jogging offstage arsenic helium said: “I emotion y’all. Make it location safe. Good night!”

Was information adequate?

The city’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, said it was excessively aboriginal to accidental whether the information cognition was capable oregon what led to the deaths.

The mayor, who has known Mr. Scott’s household for years, described a robust information operation.

“We had much information implicit determination than we had astatine the World Series games,” helium said, noting that the lawsuit took spot connected region property, with information organized by the metropolis of Houston.

There were 505 lawsuit information unit members, 91 equipped backstage information officers and 76 officers from the Houston Police Department astatine the event, officials said astatine a quality conference.

The authorities elected not to unopen down the performance excessively quickly.

Live Nation, the performance organizer, stopped the performance astir 30 minutes earlier than planned, astir 10:10 p.m. — 40 minutes aft metropolis officials said the “mass casualty event” had begun.

The Houston constabulary chief, Troy Finner, said that officials disquieted that ending the performance rapidly could marque the concern worse.

“You cannot conscionable adjacent erstwhile you got 50,000 and implicit 50,000 individuals,” helium said. “We person to interest astir rioting, riots, erstwhile you person a radical that’s that young.”

The victims were young.

The assemblage was young, with the ages of the dormant ranging from 14 to 27, according to the mayor’s office. One of the injured included a 10-year-old kid who had been taken to a hospital, the politician said.

The names of the victims had not been released arsenic of Saturday night, but Lina Hidalgo, the main enforcement of Harris County, mourned their loss: “When we work these ages — 14, 16, 21, 21, 23, 23, 27 — it conscionable breaks your heart,” she said.

Travis Scott’s concerts are known for their chaotic energy.

Since emerging from Houston successful the aboriginal 2010s, Mr. Scott has go 1 of rap’s astir ambitious figures, pushing the boundaries of entrepreneurship and of the artist’s relation arsenic a purveyor of branded products and instrumentality events.

The Astroworld euphony festival, present successful its 3rd iteration, is named aft his 2018 medium “Astroworld,” which drew statement successful the euphony manufacture implicit Mr. Scott’s extended usage of retail bundles, utilizing assorted merchandise items — sweaters, T-shirts, ashtrays and much — to assistance thrust income of the medium and boost its presumption connected the Billboard chart.

Mr. Scott has besides earned a estimation for concerts that diagnostic high-concept signifier accumulation arsenic good arsenic wild, chaotic vigor from his audience.

In 2015, Mr. Scott pleaded blameworthy to charges of reckless conduct aft helium encouraged fans astatine Lollapalooza successful Chicago to ascent implicit information barricades and onto the stage. Two years later, Mr. Scott was sued by a instrumentality who said helium had go paralyzed aft being pushed from a third-story balcony and dragged onstage portion the rapper performed successful Manhattan.

“I’m perfectly devastated by what took spot past night,” Mr. Scott said successful a statement posted connected Twitter, “My prayers spell retired to the families and each those impacted by what happened astatine Astroworld Festival.” He said was offering his “total support” to the Houston Police Department successful its investigation.

The entertainer besides posted a video story to his Instagram account. “I’m honestly conscionable devastated, and I could ne'er ideate thing similar this conscionable happening,” Mr. Scott said, rubbing his forehead successful a distraught manner. “I’m going to bash everything I tin to support you guys updated and conscionable support you guys informed of what’s going on. Love you all.”

Reporting was contributed by J. David Goodman, Edgar Sandoval, Maria Jimenez Moya, Eduardo Medina, Azi Paybarah and Aina J. Khan.