8 dead in Houston music festival stampede

At least eight people died and several others injured in a stampede at the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas, authorities said on Saturday.

"The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage and that caused some panic and it started causing some injuries," Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena told a press conference outside NRG Park early Saturday morning.

"We had at least eight confirmed fatalities tonight and scores of individuals that were injured," Pena said.

"People began to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic," he added.

The incident reportedly took place at around 9.15 p.m. on Friday night when rapper Travis Scott was performing.

Pena said 17 patients were transported to local hospitals, 11 of whom were in cardiac arrest. He confirmed that one patient was 10 years old.

More than 300 people were treated at the field hospital set up near the festival, the fire chief said, adding the concert drew about 50,000 attendees.

Organised by the rapper, the third annual festival was scheduled to run from Friday through Saturday, according to the event's website.

In the wake of the accident, officials said the planned second night would be cancelled.

In 2019, three people were trampled and hospitalised as thousands rushed to get into the festival.