Houston Police said the Astroworld tragedy seemed like it happened "over the course of just a few minutes".
Eight people died and hundreds were injured in a stampede during Travis Scott's set at the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas, on Friday (05.11.21) and police admitted the speed of proceedings took them by surprise.
Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite said: 'It happened all at once. It seemed like it just happened... over the course of just a few minutes. Suddenly we had several people down on the ground, experiencing some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode."
According to the Houston Chronicle, Scott stopped his set multiple times when he spotted fans in distress near the front of the stage.
He asked security to check on them and help them out of the crowd.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo called it an "extremely tragic night."
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena told reporters: "We had at least eight confirmed fatalities tonight and scores of individuals that were injured.
"The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries. People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic."
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner added: "I think it's very important that none of us speculate. Nobody has all the answers tonight. If you don't have facts, if you don't have evidence, I'm not going to speak against that. We have hurting families out here."
