Breaking right now.
Tragedy at Astro World Festival.
At least eight people
dead and hundreds more hurt during a concert.
Footage of someone being carried away
from the festival on a stretcher.
This is just one of the many videos
surfacing online showing the chaos.
That was just one of many videos of
surfacing online showing the chaos at
the Travis Scott concert last night.
Thank you so much for joining us for our
special web coverage at 5:00 o'clock.
I'm Cheryl Mercedes. Let's take a
live look from air 11 over NRG Park.
This is the aftermath of the deadly night
day two of the concert was canceled
and crews started taking things down.
Earlier today we've got our crews spread
out across the city at every angle,
covering this story. Let's start.
Out with our Matt Doherty and Matt,
we just got an update from police
and still many questions.
Yeah, within the last hour,
Cheryl local officials were able
to give us a few more details about
their preliminary investigation.
However, you're right,
we still have a lot more questions.
First, I want to tell you about
the ages of some of the victims.
One was 14, one was 16,
two were 21, and two were 23,
one was 27 and the age of the last
person remains unknown at this time.
In total, there were eight people who died.
13 people are still hospitalized,
five of them.
Our miners were told a 10 year
old is still in the hospital
tonight in critical condition.
Now one of the most shocking details
we learned today is that Houston
police are investigating an incident
where a security officer may have been
stuck in the neck with a syringe.
The officer was administered Narcan,
which is given to revive someone
who's had an opiate overdose.
The chief explained the incident
to reporters today.
We do have a report of a security officer
according to the medical staff that
was out and treated him last night.
That he was reaching over to
restrain or grab a citizen,
and he felt a prick in his neck.
When he was examined, he went unconscious.
They administer Narcan.
He was revived.
And the medical staff did notice
a prick that was similar to.
A prick that you would get if
somebody is trying to inject.
Now, Fire Department Chief Samuel Pena
says that several doses of Narcan were
administered at the event. Last night.
However, he did not have a number
on exactly how many she Fenner says.
Several of the individuals were trampled.
Chief Pena says there were several
permits filed for the event.
However, he says there is no occupancy
limit for outdoor events like this one.
Police chief enter says at one
point there were 528 police
officers and 755 security officers.
At last night's event,
of course there are still a whole
lot of unanswered questions tonight.
We hope to bring you more answers
as this investigation continues.
Cheryl back to you
Matt, and as the chief reiterated many times,
this is an active investigation and
they won't leave nothing unturned.
Thank you so much.
Matt Dougherty. Reporting live.
Travis Scott released a statement
earlier today saying in part
quote I'm absolutely devastated
by what took place last night.
My prayers go out to the families.
And all of those impacted
Houston PD has my total support.
You can read his full statement on
kachoyou.com and we are learning
now about the first confirmed
victim who died in the Chaos Spring
Branch ISD sent a letter to parents
saying the victim was a ninth grade
student at Memorial High School.
Our team is working to learn more about
the student and we will bring you the
latest information as soon as we get it.
An estimated 50,000 people.
Or packed into that parking lot
at NRG festival attendees says
the massive crowd is why there
was so much chaos and confusion.
Melissa Correa joins us now
with more from his perspective.
Melissa.
Hey there Cheryl Astro World
Festival was Reese Blue,
does first music festival.
Yes see him standing there
in the orange sweatshirt.
He's 6/2 and says his size is why
he was able to work his way closer
to the stage as the night went on.
This is his cell phone video.
You can see Reese is not far from the stage.
But look at how many people
are crammed in between.
Listen as he describes
the crowd of thousands,
essentially becoming like water.
When Travis Scott took the stage.
It literally the crowd becomes a fluid.
Essentially you you get push from
the back 'cause people keep pressing
in and then the people at the gates.
They don't have anywhere to go,
they push back and so you
just kind of like flowing.
It's almost like a wave,
but uncontrolled wave and you're not
actually standing on the ground,
you're just standing on other people's shoes.
Sardines, reeses people were so
crammed in that you could not
push back even if you wanted to,
says the crowd became even more chaotic
when Drake joined Travis Scott on stage
for a performance said people were
screaming for the concert to stop.
I mean, I'm around people,
they're yelling, stop the show,
chat people were shading help stop the
show and that's why I was like dude.
And then he stopped for a second.
He said what and then he
looked over on one side.
He told them like I get her up get up.
Videos on social media
show what happened next.
The concert continued until it
became more evident that hundreds
of people were in physical danger.
Some of those viral videos even show
first responders Cheryl struggling
to reach some of the people who
were affected, packed in,
and struggling to find a
place to go to find safety.
Hard to believe. Thank you so much.
Melissa Corey are reporting a
reunification center was set up
at the Wyndham Wingate Hotel on
Kirby near the 6:10 Loop to help.
Families reunite with their loved ones.
That's where we find our
Brittany Ford in Brittany.
You've seen a lot happening there today.
I imagine a lot of loved ones
going there to see if they
can find their family members.
Where shall we've seen dozens of people
here at the Reader Vacation Center or
just looking for answers and trying to
reconnect with their family members?
We have to video to show you what things
look like here throughout the day we've
seen constant concertgoers still in their
clothes from last night speaking with
officers and personnel from the Houston
Emergency Management Center that have
been on site here throughout the day.
The agency also had a hotline number.
They were directing families to call for
information if they didn't or hadn't heard
from a loved one that went to the concert.
Last night, but really,
as you mentioned,
it's been emotional out here.
We've seen families again hugging each other,
consoling each other.
Back out here live the good news here
is that our last update from Judge Lina
Hidalgo says that everyone here at
the concert or everyone at the concert
last night has been accounted for.
The next steps here really will be
what happened to those people and those
families that have loved ones that were hurt.
I'll send it back to you all
right? Thank you so much.
That was Britney forward
reporting not long ago.
Governor Abbott,
saying what has happened at
Astrol Festival last night was
tragic and our hearts are with
those who lost their lives
and those who are injured.