MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / MUSIC

Was Astroworld tragedy avoidable? Stampede at entrance should have led to cancellation

The much-awaited show of Travis Scott ended tragically as it claimed eight lives

The horrific stampede at Astroworld Festival has left people shocked and devastated. The much-awaited show of Travis Scott on November 5 at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, ended tragically as it claimed eight lives. A number of videos shared on the internet showed how the show that was meant to be a happy reunion after coronavirus restrictions were taken back turned into tragedy within seconds. Some videos also showed people breaking through the entry points and running recklessly into the venue.

About the tragedy, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said, “The crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage, and people began to panic.” Also, KHOU 11 News Houston tweeted, “HFD Chief Sam Pena: At around 9 or 9:15, the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused panic and people were getting injured. HFD transported 17 people to hospitals. 11 of those transported were in cardiac arrest.”

Reports said some 300 people were treated for injuries such as cuts and bruises at the event which was attended by 50,000 people.

READ MORE

What REALLY happened at Astroworld? Eyewitness account of horror at Travis Scott fest

Travis Scott teases ‘Dystopia’ with ‘Escape Plan’ and ‘Mafia’, singles slammed as 'mid'

Should Astroworld fest has been canceled when people broke through and stampeded into venue?

Giving an idea of what exactly happened, Mycah Hatfield, reporter for @abc13houston, tweeted: “As we were arriving to the Astroworld Festival at NRG Park right at 2:00, a stampede burst through the gates. Hundreds of people destroyed the VIP security entrance, bypassing the checkpoint. People were trampled. Some were detained.”

An eyewitness also claimed that the stampede happened seconds after Scott began performing. A person, who goes by the username @seannafaith, wrote on Instagram: “Within the first 30 seconds of the first song, people began to drown -- in other people. There were so many people. Tall men, women. Women and men were the only thing they could see was the back of the person in front of them. The rush of people became tighter and tighter. Breathing became something only a few were capable of. The rest were crushed or unable to breathe in the thick, hot air.”

These accounts have left people wondering what security people were doing when the chaos ensued and also why the fest wasn’t canceled for everyone’s safety. A person shared on Twitter, “So all the security was just on break? lmaoo like.” The second one wrote, “Yea the narrow 3-lane entry point for a #TRAVISSCOTT concert (no less) was a bad idea. There should’ve been at least 10 fully staffed lanes. With a secondary security checkpoint. Mosh pits begin in the parking lot at Travis’s concerts; been there to see it. Horrible tragedy.”

A user questioned, “Why wasn’t this event canceled immediately after this happened? None of these people were screened through security. It’s Texas. Any of them could have had a gun. In which case, the death toll could easily be 80 rather than 8. Or worse.” Another one asked: “Why did they endanger those horses by moving in on people acting like savages? Why didn’t police use tanks?”

“I’d imagine security is mostly minimum wage seasonal workers with a few seasoned experts. They should have slammed the venue doors shut upon first noticing this breach and not started the show,” a tweet read.