The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has released a report detailing the cause of death of the 10 concertgoers who sustained fatal injuries in the Nov. 5 Astroworld Festival tragedy.
According to a report from E! News, all 10 victims died from compression asphyxia.
One victim, Mirza Danish Baig, 27, had a contributing cause of death listed as “combined toxic effects of cocaine, methamphetamine, and ethanol.”
The manner of death for all of the victims has been listed as an accident.
Compression asphyxia, also known as traumatic asphyxia, occurs when external pressure is placed on the chest that prevents normal breathing, and is often “associated with internal injuries,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
The other victims of the fatal incident were Rodolfo Angel Pena, 23, Madison Alexis Dubiski, 23, Franco Cesar Patino, 21, Jacob E. Jurine, 20, John W. Hilgert, 14, Axel Beltsasar Acosta Avila, 21, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Bharti Shahani, 22, and Ezra Blount, 9.
The Astroworld Festival is an annual event held in Houston and presented by rapper Travis Scott. Scott recently said, in his first interview since the tragedy occurred, that he was unaware of the extent of the injuries happening while he was onstage.
“It wasn’t really until minutes until the press conference [after the show] that I figured out what happened,” Scott said. “Even after the show, you’re just kind of hearing things, but I didn’t know the exact details…and even at that moment you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ You just went through something.”
As previously reported, over 1,500 Astroworld victims recently filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages. “What happened at Astroworld was an unconscionable tragedy and it is important that justice is served for all those impacted,” attorney Brent Coon wrote in a press release. “We will roll over every rock in this matter.”
Scott recently filed a “general denial” in one of the lawsuits, which would allow him to submit “a blanket response” for all of the allegations against him in multiple civil suits.
Half of the families who lost loved ones during the festival turned down an offer from Scott to pay for their funeral expenses. “If you gave a sh– about these families, you wouldn’t have to put out a press release for everyone to see saying he’s willing to pay for a funeral,” attorney Tony Buzbee, representing the family of Axel Acosta, told Rolling Stone. “He says he feels sorry for them, but he’s quick to say it wasn’t his fault. He’s no different than any defendant pointing fingers to someone else.”
In his sit-down interview with Charlamagne Tha God, Scott said, “I’ve been on different types of emotions, an emotional rollercoaster,” he continued. “It gets so hard because I always feel connected to my fans, and I went through something and my fans went through something and people’s parents went through something and it really hurts.”
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