The death toll now stands at nine after a 22-year-old college student who was critically injured in the crush of fans at the Astroworld festival died in hospital. Video / news.com.au
A terrifying new drug-spiking trend could be behind the crowd surging that led to the deaths of at least eight people and injured hundreds more at Astroworld Festival, police have said.
Authorities investigating the deadly stampede at US rapper Travis Scott's concert in Houston, Texas on Friday night confirmed claims of "needle spiking" – a horrifying new take on drink spiking where unsuspecting people are injected with an unknown substance.
A security guard working the festival was attempting to grab or restrain someone during the scuffle when he felt a prick on his neck before he lost consciousness Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told a press conference on Saturday local time.
Travis Scott performs at Day 1 of the Astroworld Music Festival. Photo / AP
Medical staff who helped the guard also reported a mark on his skin that aligned with such an event, Fox News reported.
It is unclear what substance was injected into the security guard, but medics administered Narcan – a drug used to revive people who've overdosed on opioids, including fentanyl.
14-year-old among dead
Chief Finner said there are "a lot of narratives" floating around regarding what happened at the event, but confirmed Narcan was given to several individuals.
Meanwhile, more details about the eight victims who lost their lives in the tragic incident were also given by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Turner confirmed victims were aged 14 and 16, while two were aged 21 and two were 23. One was a 27-year-old while the age of one victim remains unknown, Fox News reports.
Franco Patino, a graduate of Neuqua Valley High School in Illinois, has been named as among those killed in the stampede, Chicago's WGN9 reported.
Franco, 21, was a fan of Travis Scott and went to Houston for the festival with his best friend to celebrate the friend's birthday, Patino's family said. His best friend is also among those believed to have been killed.
Franco was a junior at the University of Dayton with a major in mechanical engineering, and his family said he always put other people before himself.
A man believed to be Franco's brother has posted a message on Twitter asking for help from anyone who may have witnessed his brother's final moments.
The crowd watches as Travis Scott performs at Astroworld Festival at NRG park on Friday. Photo / AP
He wrote: "Can anyone get me the people that tried to save my brother in the Travis Scott concert #Astrofest #astroworldfestival #Houston #Travis Scott #Astrofest #astroworldfestival Please anyone try to find them I want to see who spent my brother final moments with."
Woman claims there were 'six dead at her feet'
A woman has claimed to have seen shocking scenes at the festival, with dead bodies all around her.
Izel wrote on Twitter: "For sure six dead at my feet. Keep them in your prayers and be safe. This is no joke."
Izel also responded to the tweet from Franco's brother, saying he protected her and her sister.
"My sister and I were next to him when the concert started," she wrote. "He was a such sweet guy who said he will protect us because we were first timers.
"When it all started we drifted away.
For sure 6 dead at my feet. Keep them in your prayers and be safe. This is no joke. https://t.co/bR00Ih4lUe
"He left this world protecting others. He was an angel in disguise. So so sorry for your loss, you and your family are in our prayers."
The crowd watches as Travis Scott performs at Astroworld Festival at NRG park on Friday. Photo / AP
She also expressed gratitude to a man in a white hoodie and his friends who she said saved her life.
"To the guy in the white hoodie and his friends who paved a way out when I alone, threw me over multiple rails and lead the way until I was breathing right again thank you so much!
Confronting footage on social media shows fans at the 50,000 strong event being treated by paramedics at the scene.
In one clip, a woman can be seen scaling a camera tower to beg for help, with little response to her desperate pleas.
"There's someone dead, stop the show," she can be heard yelling up to the staffer.
More clips show terrifying scenes of chaos as fans "began to compress" towards the front of the stage while Scott was performing.
Houston police stand outside the Wyndham Hotel where they posted a staging area for people looking for family and friends after the concert at Astroworld. Photo / AP
Scott's pregnant girlfriend Kylie Jenner and their three-year-old daughter were watching the rapper perform from backstage, sharing a since deleted clip of an ambulance pushing through the crowd to get to someone in aid.
She was later slammed for sharing the distressing footage, with many branding it "insensitive", "disgraceful", and "alarming".
'Absolutely devastated'
Scott – who was recorded at one point stopping his performance to ask for assistance to those struggling at the front of the crowd – has issued a statement sharing his heartbreak over the incident.
"I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night," he said.
"My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at the Astroworld Festival.
"Houston PD (Police Department) 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.
A police investigation has now launched with officials warning not to "buy into the rumours" sweeping social media.
"Nothing is off the table in terms of persons who were there, people who fainted, people who were transported," Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said Saturday.
"As far as a crowd surge, all of those things are being looked at. It's way too early to draw any conclusions."
But outraged spectators of the distressing footage emerging from Friday's incident are demanding to know why action wasn't taken sooner.
"Why didn't they call for an ambulance when this is what was happening?" one asked person on TikTok.
"The show continued even though Travis and staff saw what was going on. This makes no sense," another claimed.
What is needle spiking?
Needle spiking is the term given to a new drug "epidemic" that has been sweeping pubs, bars, nightclubs and now it seems live music events.
It began in the UK where British police have reported receiving hundreds of reports of women being "spiked by needles" since the country reopened following months of lockdown.
Many of the alleged attacks involve terrifying accounts of victims being pricked by a needle while at a bar or nightclub and quickly being left in "paralysed" states.
