Who were the 8 people that died at Travis Scott's Astroworld?
Eight lives were tragically cut short in a crowd surge during a Travis Scott concert at Astroworld on Friday, the victims ages ranging from 14 to 27.
Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston turned deadly on Friday night when the crowd surged forward as the performer took the stage. What the authorities have declared a "mass casualty incident" resulted in the death of eight individuals, with hundreds injured and 25 people taken to hospital.
Of the 13 who are still in hospital, a ten-year-old remains in critical condition. Officials have released the names of the eight victims age 14 to 27 who lost their lives. Rapper Travis Scott put out a statement after the concert and later posted a video expressing his condolences to the victims families for the tragic event.
Who were the eight people that died at the Astroworld concert?
At a briefing on Saturday officials provided more details on the events that unfolded during the concert that led to the tragedy but cautioned it will still be some time before they determine exactly what happened. The precise cause of death is yet to be determined, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said authorities will perform autopsies before the victims are released to their families.
Danish Baig, 27
Attending the concert with his younger brother, Ammar Baig, and fiancée, Olivia Swingle, Danish Baig died saving Olivia’s life when he fended off scores of people surging towards the stage. First responders tried to revive him but he died in the ambulance before paramedics could get him to the hospital. He was a district manager for AT&T from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
He and his fiancée had planned to get married next year. In an emotional Facebook post she wrote “My heart is destroyed and my soul was taken from me. I was genuinely loved, I had someone that loved me more than anything in this world… my love gave his life to save mine”
Madison Dubiski, 23
A Houston area native, Madison Dubiski was a class of 2017 alumni of Cy-Fair High School. Madison had been a varsity cheerleader and member of National Charity League. She attended the concert with her younger brother Ty Dubiski. When the mass of people began to push forward the two were separated, Madison’s brother tried to pull her out of the crowd but was unsuccessful.
Rudy Peña, 23
Rudy Peña, a college student from Laredo, went to the concert with a group of friends. One of those friends, Stacey Sarmiento, told KHOU11 “He also was a people person. He brought happiness to everywhere he went. He was easy to get along with. It was positive vibes from him all the time." Adding "We're just ... all my friends are shocked by the news. We just came to have a good time.” His family has set up a GoFundMe page for donations to help with funeral expenses.
Axel Acosta, 21
According to his aunt, Axel Acosta had never attended a large outdoor concert like the Astroworld Festival before. He had turned 21 the previous month and was studying computer science at Western Washington University. He had made the journey from Washington to Houston by himself, family members became concerned about him when he didn't return to his hotel room after the concert.
Franco Patiño, 21, and Jacob Jurinek, 20
Attending the concert together, Franco Patiño and Jacob Jurinek, were best friends from the Chicago area. Patiño’s parents told the Chicago Tribune that he was pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering technology and minor in human-movement biomechanics at the University of Dayton. His high school friend, Jurinek, was studying art and media at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Jurinek, died just weeks before his 21st birthday.
Brianna Rodriguez, 16
One of the youngest victims, Brianna Rodriguez was a junior at Houston Heights High School. She loved to dance and was a member of the school’s dance team. Her family has set up a GoFundMe page for donations to help with funeral expenses.
John Hilgert, 14
The youngest of the eight fatalities during Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival was John Hilgert. He was a freshman at Memorial High School in Houston. School officials sent a letter to the community to inform them of his death.
"Our hearts go out to the student's family and to his friends and our staff at Memorial," MHS Principal Lisa Weir wrote. "This is a terrible loss, and the entire MHS family is grieving today. Please keep the student's family in your thoughts and prayers as they face this tragedy."