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Travis Scott 'devastated' by Texas festival deaths Travis Scott 'devastated' by Texas festival deaths
(32 minutes later)
Rapper Travis Scott stopped performing when he saw fans in distress
Rapper Travis Scott says he is devastated by the deaths and injuries at his Astroworld festival and has pledged "total support" to the police.Rapper Travis Scott says he is devastated by the deaths and injuries at his Astroworld festival and has pledged "total support" to the police.
At least eight people died and scores of people were hurt after a crowd surge on the opening night of the music event in Houston, Texas.At least eight people died and scores of people were hurt after a crowd surge on the opening night of the music event in Houston, Texas.
"My prayers go out to the families all those impacted by what happened", the rapper said in a statement on Twitter."My prayers go out to the families all those impacted by what happened", the rapper said in a statement on Twitter.
"I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night" he added. "I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night," he said.
Emergency workers described how panic broke out after the crowd began to press towards the front of the stage during the rapper's headline set. Emergency workers described how panic broke out after the crowd began to press towards the front of the stage during the rapper's headline set on Friday evening.
Eleven people were taken to hospital with cardiac arrests and eight died. As the crush began causing injuries to people, the panic grew and the casualties quickly overwhelmed the on site first aiders, officials said.
Some 50,000 people attended the outdoor event, which has been cancelled. pic.twitter.com/ijXKslw7E2
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. Eleven people were taken to hospital with cardiac arrests, with eight of them dying. Some 300 people were hurt.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. In his first statement since the tragedy, the rapper thanked the police and emergency services and said he was "committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need".
Some 50,000 people were attending the two-day outdoor event, which has now been cancelled.
A man could be seen jumping on an ambulance at the concert
According to the Houston Chronicle, Mr Scott stopped multiple times during his performance when he spotted fans in distress near the front of the stage.
The rapper asked security to help them out of the crowd. Emergency vehicles, lights and alarms flashing, cut through the crowds several times, the paper says.
Amateur video from the concert appears to show fans jumping on an emergency vehicle in the crowd as the performance continues on stage.
"We were hanging on to each other to avoid getting separated," said a male concert-goer. "If you let go, you could easily drift apart."
A female concert-goer told the paper she had never been to a "music festival with so many angry people".
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Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said there was panic when people "began to compress towards the front of the stage."
A reunification centre has been set up at the Wyndham Houston Hotel for families who have not heard from loved ones at the festival.
Astroworld is an annual event held at NRG Park since 2018, though it was put on pause last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Live Nation, the event organiser, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the Reuters news agency reports.
Travis Scott, 29, made his big breakthrough in 2013 and has since had eight nominations for Grammy Awards. He has a child with celebrity socialite Kylie Jenner.