Eight people died in a stampede accident at the Houston Music Festival, and police have launched a criminal investigation

American media reported on the 6th that on the evening of the 5th local time, a stampede accident occurred at a music festival in Houston, the largest city in Texas, USA, which has caused 8 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Local police said a criminal investigation into the incident had been launched.

The scene is "completely out of control"

According to US media reports, on the evening of the 5th, about 50,000 people participated in the "Astronomical World" music festival in Houston NRG Park. At about 9:15 p.m. that night, the crowd began to squeeze towards the stage ahead, causing panic. Subsequently, someone fell, screamed, and lost consciousness, causing panic to intensify.

The accident has reportedly killed at least 8 people and injured hundreds more. More than 300 people are being treated in a makeshift hospital near the festival.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said on the 6th that 7 of the 8 dead were between the ages of 14-27. As of the afternoon of the 6th, there were still 13 people receiving treatment in the hospital, including a 10-year-old child in critical condition.

According to the Associated Press, it was rapper Travis Scott who performed on stage before the stampede. After he appeared, the crowd suddenly flocked to the stage.

"As soon as he [Scott] jumped on the stage, it was like generating a burst of energy, and then everything was completely out of control," Niaara Goods, a spectator at the festival that day, described the scene. "All of a sudden, your ribs feel squeezed, someone else's arm is around your neck, you try to breathe, but you can't."

Guz also said that at that time she felt desperate, felt that she could not get out, and in order to get rid of the crowd, she could only bite a man's shoulder.

Another viewer, Emily Munguia, 22, said there were many people at the scene who were injured, fainted, bled and cried.

The cause is still under investigation

Houston Police Chief Troy Fenner said on the 6th that the homicide investigation department and the anti-drug department respectively launched criminal investigations into the stampede, "We will thoroughly find out the ins and outs."

As of noon on the 6th, Houston police had arrested 25 people. Of these, 23 were arrested on suspicion of trespassing, 1 on suspicion of possession of marijuana and 1 on suspicion of drinking alcohol in public. But it's unclear whether the 25 arrested were linked to the Houston Festival stampede.

According to CNN, the afternoon of the stampede accident, the safety hazard was revealed. Ignoring metal fences and security guards, many spectators quickly broke into the festival's VIP entrance.

Two years ago, there was a similar stampede at the local music festival, when three people were injured.

According to local fire codes, the venue hosting the festival can accommodate 200,000 people, but local officials have previously limited the number to 50,000. Asked if there were any special protective measures for the festival this year, Samuel Peña, The Houston Fire Chief, said, "Obviously they should have done that, but not enough." ”

Live Nation, the company responsible for hosting the festival, later issued a statement saying it was distressed by the accident and would continue to cooperate with the local government in providing information and assisting in the investigation.

Houston Mayor Turner said the accident was a tragedy in many ways, and it was too early to draw conclusions about what had happened. He said there are still many doubts about the accident, and the government will conduct an in-depth investigation in the future, and the investigation may last for weeks or even longer.

How do people die?

According to the Associated Press, the most serious stampede in U.S. history dates back to 1979, when 11 fans were trampled to death at the Cincinnati "Who's Who" rock concert in a scramble for a better seat.

Globally, major stampedes also include: in 1989, a stampede on the stadium in Sheffield, England, resulted in nearly 100 deaths. In 2015, Saudi pilgrims stampede more than 2,400 people died in a stampede accident, with the dead coming from different countries.

Why do swarms lead to death? Experts say that such events usually occur because of crowd density – in a smaller space, too many people are crowded together, or there is not enough room to move, which can easily lead to hypoxia. In many cases, it is not stampede that causes death, but death from lack of oxygen.

A British study showed that in sheffield stadium stampedes, most of the dead died of suffocation, and other causes of death included "inhalation of stomach contents into the respiratory tract".

Experts point out that once the crowd swarms up, the force generated is greater than expected, enough to bend the steel. The force that strikes at the crowd comes mainly from two directions: the front of the crowd behind the crowd, and the front of the crowd trying to escape. Once someone falls, the crowd piles up and creates pressure from above, squeezing the lungs.

Keith Still, an expert on population studies at the University of Suffolk in the United Kingdom, points out that when planning an event, in addition to ensuring that there is enough space, it is also necessary to consider whether there are high-energy groups participating in the event, such as teenagers who are enthusiastic about music. In addition, a circle fence can be set up around the stage to disperse large groups into small groups.

Some analysts pointed out that the months-long lockdown measures under the epidemic have increased people's desire to go out and return to the crowd, and the risk of stampede brought by the gathering has also risen.

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Column Editor-in-Chief: Yang Liqun Text Editor: Yang Liqun Title Image Source: Visual China Image Editor: Yong Kai

Source: Author: Yang Ying