Original title: The show stopped after 37 minutes? The US media questioned the mishandling of the stampede at the Houston Music Festival
On the evening of the 5th local time, a stampede occurred at a music festival in Houston, Texas, causing at least eight deaths, including two minors. At present, 25 people have been arrested. On the 6th, the Houston Fire Department introduced more details of the incident. American media reported that this was the most serious performance accident in the United States since 2003.
The head of the Houston Fire Department said at a press conference on the 6th that the scene of the music festival on the 5th was crowded with people. At around 9 o’clock that evening, the audience began to push toward the stage, causing panic and stampede. At around 9:38 that night, “a large number of casualties” occurred on the scene. The police on duty at the scene of the incident said that the crowd rushed forward at the time of the incident, and then some people fell to the ground and the heart stopped beating.
There is a live video showing that when the stampede happened, the audience yelled “stop the show.” There is also a video showing that the audience quarreled and the scene was chaotic.
American media reported that the organization of the music festival was chaotic. Earlier in the day, crowded and chaotic scenes appeared at the entrance. Many people rushed into the festival site from the entrance, and the security inspection facilities were also damaged.
The local police stated that the police had launched a criminal investigation into the stampede. At present, 25 people have been arrested, of which 23 were arrested on suspicion of illegal trespassing, 1 person was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana, and 1 person was arrested on suspicion of drinking alcohol in a public place. It is not clear whether these 25 people were related to the stampede.
The police said that the music festival was originally planned to be held for two days. After the stampede on the 5th, the 6th event has been cancelled.
According to the local media “Houston breaking latest news”, it took 37 minutes from when many audience members asked for the suspension of the performance, when city officials announced “mass casualties” to the final cessation of the performance. The media questioned that the organizers of the music festival and the relevant departments of the municipal government lacked emergency plans, mishandled the scene and failed to prevent the tragedy in time.
The “Houston breaking latest news” listed a timetable after interviewing a number of witnesses at the scene. The timetable showed that at around 9 o’clock that night, the audience began to push toward the stage, causing panic and trampling. At 9:28, the audience Daniels filmed a scene of staff performing chest compressions on an unconscious man in the crowd. At around 9:38, Houston city officials reported that “a large number of casualties” occurred at the scene. Subsequently, although the organizers agreed to end the performance early, the concert continued. According to the audience, the performance finally stopped at 10:15 that night, about 37 minutes after the “report of casualties”.
According to the Houston breaking latest news, it is quite common for the Houston area to suddenly cancel outdoor events due to weather and other reasons. For how to suspend performances, the festival organizers and municipalities should have complete “plans and procedures.” When necessary, the staff can turn off all power to the stage and play safety prompts through the audio and video system in just a few seconds. However, according to eyewitnesses, on the night of the incident, no safety notice was broadcast on the scene.
Houston Mayor Turner promised to thoroughly investigate the incident, but the investigation may continue for weeks or months.
Source: CCTV News
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