On November 5, the third annual AstroWorld Festival quickly turned to chaos. Rapper Travis Scott started the festival in 2018, and has hosted it in his hometown, Houston, Texas. This year’s festival was highly anticipated, with all 100,000 tickets being sold out in 30 minutes. Tragically, that night became unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. It resulted in at least 8 people dead and hundreds injured.

Before Scott appeared on stage, countless people stormed the festival, jumping fences and avoiding security. Even before he performed his first song, many attendees described the crowd as chaotic. It was too crowded to move or breathe, and people were passing out left and right. The situation only worsened as Scott commenced his performance.

The crowd continued to surge, leaving people trapped and helpless. One fan described the event not as a concert, but as “a fight for survival”. Countless people have reported falling down during the concert and being crushed beneath others, unable to get back up. According to cnn.com, Eligió Garcia, 18, described it as “Just kids and people falling and people trying to reach up, like they’re reaching up for you. I really heard people screaming like, ‘Help, please help me.'” Another attendee, Fatima Munoz, claims to have been trapped beneath the crowd, and decided to bite someone’s leg to get their attention.

“We were all screaming for help, and no one helped or heard us. It was horrifying. People were screaming for their lives, and they couldn’t get out. Nobody could move a muscle,” said TK Tellez to CNN reporters, a 20-year-old who attended the festival. Many other witnesses claimed to have seen bodies being trampled by the crowd, and survivors struggled to escape as the music raged on.

Security and paramedics did what they could to handle the terror, but there was just not enough help available. Not only was the festival lacking in professional aid and proper crowd management, but paramedics couldn’t even get to those struggling in the crowd. Many concertgoers attempted to help the injured around them, and they would yell at camera and light technicians to ask them to stop the festival.

Travis Scott continued his performance for over an hour, and reportedly attended a party afterwards. Eventually, he reimbursed those who bought tickets and issued an apology on social media. He also announced he will cover funeral costs and other aid to those affected by the tragedy. At least 18 lawsuits have been filed against the tragedy, and officials have been working to understand everything that went wrong.