Rapper and producer Travis Scott, the organizer of the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas in the United States, where at least eight people died Friday night, gave his first on-camera statement in a video posted to his Instagram account Saturday night.
“I’m honestly just devastated,” Scott said as he repeatedly sighed and rubbed his forehead.
We’re actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time,” said Scott.
Some concertgoers have criticized organizers for continuing the show even as unresponsive people were being given CPR and carried away, but Scott indicated he was not aware of how severe things had gotten. “Any time I could make out, you know, anything that’s going on, you know, I just stopped my show and, you know, helped them get the help they need.”
Video from the concert’s live stream showed Scott pausing his performance and looking on in confusion as an ambulance pulled into the crowd before finishing the concert.
The cause of the deaths has not been determined, and officials have not released the identities of the victims.
“Our hearts are with the Astroworld festival family tonight — especially those we lost and their loved ones,” Astroworld organizers said in a statement Saturday. “We are focused on supporting local officials however we can.”
Scott, a native of Houston, has multiple philanthropic projects in the community geared toward providing resources to city youth. The third annual festival, part of a week of charitable activities where Scott and partners unveiled several education and park beautification projects, is named after his 2018 album “Astroworld.”
“My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival,” Scott tweeted Saturday. “Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”
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