Yahoo News Astroworld 911 call log reveals crowd’s desperation as show continued
Desperate 911 calls from dozens of injured attendees at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival have revealed the dire situation unfolding at the doomed Houston concert, which were recorded by 911.
Authorities have so far confirmed the deaths of nine people who died as a result of last Friday’s sold out concert, when a 55,000-strong crowd surged towards the stage as Mr Scott performed at an outdoor venue in Houston, Texas.
The rapper, apparently unaware of what was unfolding in front of him, went on for another 40 minutes or so before Astroworld was called off. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
According to a call log obtained by USA Today, trouble at Astroworld began as early as 6.50am that day after fences were breached.
“Dangerous crowd conditions” at a second stage and reports of “venue fences damaged” followed, with the incidents being logged by four firefighters listening to Houston police officers communicating with other fire, police and county emergency officials, it was alleged.
By 11am, a merchandise stall had been overrun, with reports that there was “no control of participants” – about 12 hours before Mr Scottt took the stage.
By 4pm the private medical company attending the Astroworld festival, ParaDocs, had treated 54 attendees, according to the call log and The Associated Press.
The Houston Police Department reported at 5.24 pm that it would soon launch a “private drone” over the stage, hovering at around 200 feet, the log showed.
ParaDocs reported that 262 patients had been treated by 8.52 pm, less than 10 minutes before Mr Scott was to take the stage.
Within an hour, a rush of injuries were logged by fire and police officials, including accounts of an “unconscious female in middle of crowd,” people who were “trampled” and a “report of multiple persons down in the crowd.”
The fire incident commander declared the event a mass casualty incident by 9.52 pm, the document showed, with fire fighters arriving at the scene shortly after.
Mr Scott, who has been condemned for calling on fans to “rage” and misbehaviour at former concerts, continued for another 19 minutes before the festival stopped.
Patrick M Lancton, the president of the Professional Fire Fighters Association, told reporters that fire fighters “listening to radio traffic saved lives because critical seconds matter”.
Further details are expected about what took place.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
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