The Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said the crowd rushed the stage around 9:15 p:m CT. People started to pass out, inciting more panic, when the Houston Police Department declared a mass casualty incident.
“The crowd for whatever reason began to push and surge towards the front of the stage, which caused the people in the front to be compressed – they were unable to escape that situation,” Peña said during a news conference early Saturday morning.
Authorities are investigating “what caused, one, the issue of the crowd surge, and two, what prevented people from being able to escape that situation,” Pena added.
The official Astroworld Festival Instagram account shared a statement regarding the tragedy, saying, “Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight – especially those we lost and their loved ones,” the statement read. “We are focused on supporting local officials however we can. With that in mind the festival will no longer be held on Saturday. As authorities mentioned in their press conference earlier, they are looking into the series of cardiac arrests that took place. If you have any relevant information on this, please reach out to Houston Police. Thank you to our partners at the Houston Police Department, Fire Department, and NRG Park for their response and support.”