HOUSTON —
Investigators Sunday labored to find out how eight folks died in a crush of followers at a Houston music competition, as pals and family members mourned the victims and a makeshift memorial of flowers and candles took form on the web site.
Authorities deliberate to make use of movies, witness interviews and a overview of live performance procedures to determine what went fallacious Friday evening throughout a efficiency by rapper Travis Scott. The tragedy unfolded when the gang rushed the stage, squeezing folks so tightly they could not breathe.
Bouquets, votive candles, condolence notes and T-shirts, together with a Scott shirt, have been left exterior the location at NRG Park.
Michael Suarez, 26, got here to the rising memorial after attending the live performance.
“It’s totally devastating. Nobody needs to see or hear folks dying at a competition,” Suarez mentioned. “We have been right here to have a great time — a good time — and it is devastating to listen to somebody misplaced their lives.”
The useless, in response to family and friends members, included a 14-year-old highschool scholar; a 16-year-old woman who beloved dancing; and a 21-year-old engineering scholar on the College of Dayton. The youngest was 14, the oldest 27.
Houston officers didn’t instantly launch the victims’ names or the reason for demise.
13 folks remained hospitalized Sunday. Their situations weren’t disclosed.
Metropolis officers mentioned they have been within the early levels of investigating what prompted the pandemonium on the sold-out Astroworld competition, an occasion based by Scott. About 50,000 folks have been there. Authorities mentioned that amongst different issues, they’ll take a look at how the world across the stage was designed.
One concertgoer mentioned that as a timer ticked all the way down to the beginning of Scott’s present, held in a fenced-off parking zone, the gang pushed ahead. Screaming and panic ensued, and folks started passing out.
On video posted to social media, Scott might be seen stopping the live performance at one level and asking for assist for somebody within the viewers: “Safety, someone assist actual fast.”
In a tweet posted Saturday, Scott mentioned he was “completely devastated by what befell.” He pledged to work “along with the Houston neighborhood to heal and help the households in want.”
——
Related Press writers Ryan Pearson in Los Angeles; Stan Choe in New York; David Sharp in Portland, Maine; and Desiree Seals in Atlanta contributed to this report.
