At least one lawsuit has been filed over the fatal crowd surge at a concert by rapper Travis Scott, with more expected in the coming days.
Manuel Souza suffered “serious bodily injuries” in the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, according to a petition seen by the Reuters and Associated Press news agencies.
Eight people aged between 14 and 27 were killed in the crush and hundreds more from a crowd of about 50,000 were injured. Scott has said he has been left “absolutely devastated” by the incident.
Around 50,000 people were at the festival. Pic: Twitter @ONACASELLA /via REUTERS
Investigators are expected to examine the design of safety barriers and the use of crowd control in determining what led to the surge at the sold-out festival, which was founded by Scott.
Mr Souza is seeking at least $1m (about £741,000) in damages from defendants including Scott and show organisers Live Nation, according to a lawsuit filed in Harris County District Court, Reuters reports.
Another man named Kristian Paredes has also filed a lawsuit against Scott, Live Nation and Canadian rapper Drake, who made a guest appearance at the concert, according to US media.
The tragedy unfolded after some of the crowd at the show are said to have pushed toward the stage at NRG Park, as a timer clicked down to the start of Grammy-nominated Scott’s show.
Among the victims were high school pupil Brianna Rodriguez, 16; medical assistant Rudy Pena, 23; student Franco Patino and his friend Jacob Jurinek, both 21; and Danish Baig, 27, who was reportedly injured as he tried to help his fiancée.
Brianna was described as “beautiful” and “vibrant” by her family on a crowdfunding page to raise money for her funeral, while Rudy was the “calmest, most playful and most sweetest with everyone”, his brother-in-law, Sergio Gonzales, told People.com.
Brianna Rodriguez, 16, was among the victims
Rudy Pena, 23, the youngest of five siblings, attended the show with his friends
Both Jacob and Franco were described in tributes on social media as two of the “nicest” and “kindest” people.
In a post written by Danish’s brother Basil on Facebook, he was described as “a beautiful soul whose smile would light up the room and put everyone before himself”.
Axel Acosta, 21, was also among the victims killed in the tragedy, his father, Edgar Acosta, told US media.
He was a computer science major at Western Washington University, which released a statement paying tribute: “By all accounts, Axel was a young man with a vibrant future. We are sending our condolences to his family on this very sad day.”
Franco Patino, 21, a student at the University of Dayton in Ohio, was described as an ‘amazing person’
Jacob Jurinek had saved up to attend the festival
Families of the victims have demanded justice as a criminal investigation is now under way, with Houston mayor Sylvester Turner calling the disaster a “tragedy on many different levels”.
Thirteen people remained in hospital on Sunday. Details of their conditions have not been released.
A security officer was also left unconscious after apparently being injected in the neck by a concert-goer. Houston city police chief Troy Finner said his department had opened a criminal investigation by homicide and narcotics detectives, following reports that somebody in the audience had been injecting people with drugs.
Houston police and fire department officials have said their investigation will include reviewing video taken by concert promoter Live Nation, as well as dozens of clips from people at the show.
Scott is expecting his second child with partner Kylie Jenner. Pic: ESBP/STAR MAX/IPx
Officials also looked to review the event’s security plan and various permits issued to organisers to see whether they were properly followed. In addition, investigators planned to speak with Live Nation representatives, Scott and concert-goers.
Scott, who founded the festival, said he was “devastated” following the deaths, and was working to help the families of “the ones that was lost” as well as giving his “total support” to police.
The 29-year-old star is known for his high-energy performances in which music fans are encouraged to stage dive and crowd-surf.
He stopped multiple times during his set after spotting fans in distress near the front of the stage, and asked security to help people out of the crowd.
His partner Kylie Jenner, with whom he is expecting his second child, said after the tragedy that they had been left “broken and devastated”, and offered her “deepest condolences” to the families of those affected.
Sky News has contacted representatives for Scott and Live Nation for comment. A spokesperson for Drake declined to comment on the lawsuit reports.
