US rap concert deadly stampede investigation widens to include criminal probe
- Houston police open criminal line of inquiry into the deaths of eight young people and dozens of injuries
- Reports of audience members being injected with drugs; rapper Travis says he is “devastated” by the tragedy which happened while he performed
At least two investigations, one of them criminal, are under way into the deadly stampede during rap star Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival that killed at least eight people and injured dozens in Houston.
Officials in Houston, Texas said autopsies on Friday’s victims were being performed as soon as possible so their bodies can be returned to family members.
The dead were young, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said: two were aged 14 and 16, two were 21, another two were 23, with a seventh aged 27. An eighth victim has yet to be identified, he added.
A 10-year-old was in critical condition, officials said. At least 11 people suffered cardiac arrests.
Harris County Judge Lina Hildago called on Saturday for an “objective, independent” investigation into the tragedy, as she spoke about the rap festival being attended by 50,000 fans when the stampede took place.