Hours before the Astroworld Music Festival even began on November 5 in Houston, Texas, security failed and hundreds of people streamed into the Astroworld venue. People were jumping over fences, security checkpoints had been torn down, and overwhelmed. Ten people died, including a nine-year-old.

Starting at 9:00 am, concertgoers broke through security tearing down scanners and breaching all security checkpoints. Around 5:05 pm, around eight breaches would be reported, with 3,000 to 5,000 unscanned concertgoers. 

Before musician Travis Scott even took the stage, the Houston Police Department already reported that there were “dangerous crowd conditions” and that more than 260 people had been treated. It was not until Travis Scott took the stage at 9:00 pm, that casualties and injuries became more serious. 

When Travis took the stage many events took place. Timestamps from the Houston Police communication reflect on the chaos that took place. At 9:18 pm there was a “crush injury”. At 9:33 pm, Police reported “multiple people trampled, passed out at the front of the stage.” Minutes later, a police operator reported five 911 calls about “unconscious persons” in the crowd. Report of possible CPR.” At 9:52 pm a “level one MCI” (Mass Casualty Incident) was reported, then at 10 p.m. to about 11:40 pm, 17 people had been transported to hospitals, including at least six people in cardiac arrest.

When the concert was finally shut down at 10:10 pm, the event was considered a “Mass Casualty event”. Leaving the concert was also a horror to the concertgoers. According to a CNN interview, Uniqua Smith, 34,  told reporters that a woman near her collapsed after what seemed to be a seizure. “I’m looking around for the paramedics,” she said. “I don’t see anyone responding.”(CNN)  Smith said she had tried to make her way out of the venue around 9:45 p.m.  When she was almost out, she got  “caught in the madness” until 2:45 a.m. When she finally made it out, Smith said, she fainted.

Currently, ten people have died due to heart conditions, seizures, and severe head or body injuries, including a nine-year-old boy. 

The tragic event has generated more than 90 civil suits in Harris County District Court as of Friday, demanding accountability from city officials, concert organizers, and performers at a sold-out concert attended by about 50,000.

Scott and his attorneys have made statements about the chaos. Travis Scott says that he was not able to hear or understand what was going on down below. He has lights flashing in his face and an earplug that blasts music in his ears enabling him from seeing and hearing the chaos below him. Scott said he was devastated by what happened and said he will cover all funeral costs for the victims.