HOUSTON (Reuters) – At least two investigations, one of them criminal, were underway on Sunday into the deadly stampede during rap star Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival that killed at least eight people and injured dozens in Houston.
Officials in Houston said autopsies on Friday’s victims were being performed as soon as possible so their bodies could be returned to family members, with the identities of some of the dead expected to be released on Sunday.
The dead were young, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters on Saturday: two were aged 14 and 16, two were 21, another two were 23, with a seventh aged 27 An eighth victim has yet to be identified, he added.
Harris County Judge Lina Hildago called for an “objective, independent” investigation into the tragedy, as she spoke about the rap festival being attended by 50,000 fans when the stampede took place.
“Perhaps the plans were inadequate. Perhaps the plans were good but they weren’t followed,” Hildago said. “The families of those who died, everybody affected, deserves answers.”
The tragedy occurred at NRG Park at approximately 9.30 p.m. during the headline performance by Grammy-nominated artist and producer Scott, which marked the culmination of the opening day. The remainder of the two-day festival has been canceled.
When the throng pushed towards the stage, some people had heart arrests and other medical trauma, and officials indicated that here is where the deaths occurred.
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