Texas governor directs agency to offer resources for probe of deadly music festival

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has directed a state agency to offer resources for the investigation of the deadly musical festival incident that occurred Friday.

Eight people were killed and many more wounded at the Astroworld music festival in Houston after fans surged toward the stage, causing “panic,” officials said.

Seventeen were taken to the hospital, with eleven suffering from cardiac arrest. The identities of those who died and their causes of death are still unknown.

“The State of Texas is ready [to] assist in the response, and I have directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to make state resources available to support the investigation,” Abbott said in a statement Saturday. 

Houston police and firefighters have begun the investigation, with Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite and Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña leading a press conference on the incident.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) said a meeting will be held in which all relevant agencies will discuss how the deaths occurred. 

“I have called for a detailed briefing from all stakeholders, including Live Nation, Harris County, NRG Park, Police, Fire, Office of Emergency Management, and other agencies, explaining how the event got out of control leading to the deaths and injuries of several attendees,” Turner said.

Astroworld released a statement Saturday saying it is working with authorities to get to the bottom of the incident. 

The surge occurred when Travis Scott was performing, with video showing Scott stopping his performance several times to tell his security to help fans. 

The festival has canceled all its Saturday events in light of Friday’s incident.