Houston, Texas: The 10 people who died in a stampede at rapper Travis Scott’s concert at the Astroworld Festival in Houston last month accidentally suffocated, the Harris County medical examiner ruled on Thursday.
The victims, aged 9 to 27 years old, died of compression asphyxia, the examiner’s report concluded, essentially crushed to death in the crowd surrounding the stage. Another 300 people were injured among the audience of 50,000 people. Victims were trapped and hemmed in by barricades on three sides, unable to escape as thousands of fans rushed towards the stage while Scott performed. Eyewitnesses said spectators fell to the ground and some were trampled.
Travis Scott performs at Day 1 of the Astroworld Music Festival at NRG Park in Houston on November 5.Credit:Invision/AP
Compression asphyxia is caused by a force from the front or back preventing the lungs from expanding, said Dr Ron Albarado, an acute care trauma surgeon, at UT Health Houston. Deaths can occur in about 15-20 minutes in a crowd surging back and forth, he said.
The medical examiner ruled out homicide, or death caused by another person, in all 10 cases.
“This reopens a fresh wound for many families who are still trying to make sense of what happened,” said Harris County’s top executive Lina Hidalgo.
“Bharti Shahani suffered a horrific death as she was suffocated within a massive crowd,” said lawyer James Lassiter, who represents the Shahani family. The findings “confirm Bharti’s family’s worst fears,” he said.
Emergency personnel respond to the chaotic scenes. Credit:KTKR/AP
A spokesperson for Scott declined immediate comment. His lawyer and representatives for Live Nation did not reply to requests for comment.
A Houston police spokesperson declined immediate comment.
Travis Scott concert victims were crushed, accidentally suffocated
Source: Philippines Alive
