Four Hispanics killed at Astroworld concert stampede

Eight people, including four Hispanics, died in a stampede that occurred last  Friday night during rapper Travis Scott’s concert at the Astroworld music festival, according to Telemundo Houston and NBC News.

The victims were identified as Briana Rodríguez, Ruddy Peña, Franco Patiño and Axel Acosta. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed that the deceased were between the ages of 14 and 27.

“He (Peña) was full of life. He radiated happiness and positivity. We bumped into bodies, there were a lot of people,” said Stacy Sarmiento, Peña’s friend, in an interview with Telemundo Houston.

Experts believe the stampede was caused by the excessive amount of people crammed into a small space. Around 50,000 people attended the concert. One of the attendees said that when Scott’s performance began, the crowd began to push forward. More than 300 were injured.

“As soon as he came on stage, it was like an energy surged and everything went crazy. All of a sudden, you were getting your ribs crushed. You had someone’s arm around your neck. You were trying to breathe, but couldn’t,” concertgoer Niaara Goods told Telemundo Houston.

Danish Baig,  a festival attendee, said fans were “hitting and shoving each other” and were allegedly “provoked” by Travis Scott, who continued with his performance unaware of the magnitude of the incident.

Since the event, Scott has said he is “devastated” by the event and is doing his best to work with the families of the victims.

Houston’s police chief said his department opened a criminal investigation by homicide and narcotics detectives, after receiving reports that someone was injecting people with drugs.

Two civil lawsuits were filed. Manuel Souza is seeking at least $1 million in damages after suffering “serious bodily injuries.”