Lawsuits and threats of legal action mounted on Monday on behalf of concertgoers crushed in a stampede that left eight dead at an outdoor rap music festival in Houston three days earlier, as investigators pursued a criminal probe into the tragedy.
Travis Scott, the hometown hip-hop star who was performing on stage Friday night when the incident occurred, cancelled a scheduled appearance this weekend at Day N Vegas in Las Vegas, a similar outdoor festival, a source close to Scott said.
Scott announced on Monday he will cover all funeral costs and offer aid to those affected. He is also working with law enforcement and city officials to “respectfully and appropriately connect” with victims and their families, according to a statement.
The victims were crushed in a surge of fans near the stage at NRG Park at around 9:30 p.m., with some unable to breathe and others trampled underfoot. Hundreds of others in the sellout crowd of 50,000 were injured.
Fans described a chaotic scene after a steady escalation of disruptive behaviour throughout the day.
The eight victims ranged in age from 14 to 27 and included an avid high school baseball player, a high school band member who loved to dance and several college students from around the country.
Though he paused the music multiple times after spotting fans that needed medical attention, Scott completed his set. The show continued for 37 minutes after officials declared a “mass casualty event,” according to a Houston Chronicle timeline.
Scott released a short video late on Saturday, saying that while he was on stage, “I could just never imagine the severity of the situation.” He also posted a statement on Twitter saying he was “devastated” and would cooperate fully with authorities.
More than a half dozen lawsuits from victims and their families have already been filed against several defendants, including Scott and concert promoters Live Nation Entertainment Inc and ScoreMore.
Neither Live Nation nor Scott or their representatives immediately responded to requests for comment.
Houston-based attorney Anthony Buzbee told a news conference on Monday his firm planned to sue on behalf of Axel Acosta, 21, who died at the festival, and other victims in a case he said would seek to improve “the way concerts are put on, organized, promoted and managed in the United States and around the world.” (ABS-CBN News)
