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Eight dead, 25 injured including a 10-year-old child, unprecedented tragedy unfolded during a rap concert in Houston on Friday night. Authorities are still investigating the reasons for this incident.
At 9:30 p.m. Friday, November 5, young people aged 14, 16, 21, 23 and 27 died crushed or trampled when a crowd of 50,000 people pressed against the stage where artist Travis Scott was performing, reports our correspondent in Houston, Thomas Harms. More than 300 people had to be treated for injuries on the spot, including minor scrapes and bruises, authorities said.
The concert continued for 37 minutes as the emergency services brought out the first victims. On videos we see young people going on stage to shout to stop the concert without success. The Live Nation organizer has reportedly agreed to stop the performance but rapper Travis Scott has played his entire set.
« A lot of rumors have been circulating on social networks since then, I ask everyone to be careful and not to believe these theories, said Sylvester Turner, the mayor of Houston. But no track is ruled out. »
American rapper Travis Scott, who launched the Astroworld festival in 2018, said to himself ” absolutely devastated ”In a statement released on Saturday.
There were over 500 police on site, and over 700 private security forces.
The concert producer singled out
However, in the afternoon, the gates were forced open by the crowds and thousands were able to enter by knocking down the gates around the Astroworld. The organizer, Live Nation, will provide the videos from the cameras placed on the site.
But this is not the first time that the concert producer has been questioned for failures. More than ten violations of safety standards were observed between 2016 and 2019.
« Already in 2019, Astroworld, where hip hop celebrities performed, was the scene of similar incidents, said Lina Hidalgo, who heads Houston County. Barricades were forced, and there had previously been problems with crowd control. But actions were taken after this event. »
The authorities are asking the public to release the information in their possession to advance the investigation.
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