Rapper Travis Scott will pay for funeral charges for the nine victims of the fatal crowd surge at his Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas.
“Travis remains in active conversations with the city of Houston, law enforcement, and local first responders to respectfully and appropriately connect with the individuals and families of those involved,” a representative for Scott said in a statement released Nov. 8. “These are the first of many steps Travis plans on taking as a part of his personal vow to assist those affected throughout their grieving and recovery process.”
When Scott took the stage at 9 p.m. on Nov. 5, the crowd pushed toward the stage in unison and became densely packed together. “All of what had to be 50,000 people ran to the front, compressing everyone together with the little air available,” concert-goer Alexis Guavin told CNN. Guavin recalls there being “mosh pits in every direction.”
As the crowd became increasingly packed together, people started having trouble breathing, with bodies pushing against them from all sides. The eight victims were trampled to death, and a further 300 individuals were injured, 23 of whom were hospitalized. At least one other person was injured when people rushed through the VIP entrance at the concert’s start.
The ages of the deceased ranged from 14 to 27. The youngest hospitalized individual is 10-years-old, Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña told CNN.
Scott continued to perform as the surge happened, though videos from the event show the rapper paused momentarily as an ambulance with its lights flashing moved into the crowd.
“I want to make it clear we weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show and in no world would have continued filming or performing,” Kylie Jenner, influencer and Scott’s fiance, said in an Instagram post.
Peña told CNN that the event is under investigation to determine “what caused, one, the issue of the crowd surge, and two, what prevented people from being able to escape that situation.”
Organizers for the multi-day Astroworld Festival told CNN that they will provide full refunds for ticket holders of the Nov. 5 events and the canceled Nov. 6 events.
In a statement released Nov. 8, event promoter Live Nation said they are “working on ways to support attendees, the families of victims, and staff.” This will include mental health counseling and hospital cost assistance.
“I am absolutely devastated by what took place last night,” Scott tweeted on Nov. 6. “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at the Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”