Travis Scott has vowed to help the families of the victims who died at the Astroworld festival, while insisting he ‘could never imagine the severity’ of the situation while performing.
The Sickomode rapper performed to around 50,000 fans at the music event in Houston, Texas on Friday when the crowd surged towards the stage causing a crush, which led to the deaths of eight people and many others injured.
Following his original statement, Travis, 29, spoke out in videos shared to his Instagram stories on Saturday night acknowledging those who lost their lives.
Appearing visibly distraught and repeatedly rubbing his head throughout, Travis said: ‘I just wanna send out prayers to the ones that was lost last night.
‘We’re actually working now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time. My fans really mean the world to me and I always want to leave them with a positive experience.’
Defending himself, he added: ‘Anytime I can make out anything that’s going on, you know, I stop the show and you know, help them get the help they need. I could just never imagine the severity of the situation.
‘To the ones that was lost last night, we’re working right now to ID the families so we can help assist them through this tough time.
‘I’m honestly just devastated… I could never imagine anything like this just happening.’
He added: ‘If you have any information, please just contact your local authorities.
‘I’m (going to) do everything I can to keep you guys updated, just keep you guys informed on what’s going on.
‘Love you all.’
Travis’ second statement came after the city’s mayor Sylvester Turner held a new conference and confirmed a 14-year-old child was among those who died. A 16-year old was also killed in the incident, while the other victims included two 21-year-olds, two 23-year-olds and a 27-year-old, with the age of one other victim unknown.
As well as the eight people who died, 11 people were taken to hospital and around 300 were treated for injuries after the crowd began to compress towards the stage when the rapper was performing at the festival, emergency officials said.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner also confirmed that a security guard passed out after appearing to be injected in the neck with a needle.
A concert-goer is believed to have attacked the guard, who had to be revived using the drug Narcan, commonly used for overdoses on opioids, including heroin.
Travis, who is a Houston native, had earlier shared a statement via Twitter, which said: ‘I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video
‘Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.
‘I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.
‘Thank you to Houston PD, fire department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love you all.’
The incident began around 9:15pm on Friday, according to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña, who told reporters: ‘The crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage, and people began to panic.’
Video footage showed Travis asking for help for fans who had passed out while he stood on-stage.
He said in the clips: ‘I need somebody’s help, somebody passed out right here.
‘Somebody passed out right here. No, no, don’t touch him. don’t touch him! Everybody just back up. Security – somebody help, just jump in real quick. Somebody jump in, come on, come on, security.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Source: Read Full Article