Texas officials have released the official cause of death for the 10 who died at the Astroworld Festival.
via People:
According to a Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences report obtained by E! News, all 10 victims died from compression asphyxia. A contributing cause of death for Mirza Danish Baig, 27, was listed as “combined toxic effects of cocaine, methamphetamine, and ethanol.”
The other victims of the fatal incident were Rodolfo Angel Pena, 23, Madison Alexis Dubiski, 23, Franco Cesar Patino, 21, Jacob E. Jurine, 20, John W. Hilgert, 14, Axel Beltsasar Acosta Avila, 21, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Bharti Shahani, 22, and Ezra Blount, 9.
The manner of death for all 10 victims was ruled as an accident.
Officials previously described the tragedy, which occurred at NRG Park in Scott’s hometown of Houston, as a “mass casualty incident.” According to police, the crowd at Scott’s show “began to compress towards the front of the stage,” causing panic and injuries.
“People began to fall out, become unconscious,” authorities said during a news conference after the show, “and it created additional panic.”
A day after the concert, Travis issued a statement reading: “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD 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. Love You All.”
When asked about the incident in an interview with Charlamagne tha God earlier in December, the 30-year-old rapper, who is now facing numerous lawsuits in connection to the tragedy, said, “It wasn’t really until minutes until the press conference until I found out exactly what happened. Even after the show, you know, you’re just kind of hearing things.”
Scott has also been working on an initiative with the United States Conference of Mayors aiming to prevent future concert tragedies.
Tony Buzbee—the attorney representing the family of Axel, one of the concertgoers who died—told E! News in a statement on Thursday, Dec. 16, that the coroner’s report “confirms what the family already knew, which is that Axel was crushed and killed that night by the crowd, through no fault of his own.”
The statement read, “Axel Acosta’s family looks forward now to presenting their case in court, in front of a jury, in the hopes that all those accountable are held legally responsible, and that a preventable tragedy like this never happens again.”
On Dec. 16, the Houston Police Department said on social media that the criminal investigation into the incident is ongoing. Authorities are reviewing video footage and evidence, as well as conducting interviews in the case.
So sad.
