Astroworld victim was killed saving his fiancée, brother reveals

At least 8 people died and hundreds were hurt on opening night of rapper Travis Scott’s festival in Houston

One of the victims of the “crowd surge” that led to multiple casualties at rapper Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston died trying to save his fiancée, his brother said.

At least eight people died and hundreds of others were injured after a huge crowd surge on the opening night of the two-day festival. Around 50,000 people were in attendance when part of the crowd began to rush towards the stage during Scott’s performance.

Danish Baig (27) died in an ambulance after being crushed while trying to save his 25-year-old fiancée Olivia Swingle. They were separated during the chaos at the event, and by the time the ambulance managed to get to Baig, he couldn’t be revived.

“People were trampled, walked, and stomped on. My brother tried to save my sister-in-law from these horrendous acts that were being done to her in the process he lost his life,” Basil Baig wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “My brother was killed in this horrendous Astroworld event that was managed poorly and supervised by such horrible people.”

Ms Swingle and Baig both worked at a telecommunications company and had travelled from Dallas to Houston to attend the event.

“Last night he showed his courageous act to save my sister-in-law/his fiancee from those horrendous things that were being done. I am lost of words and in true trauma from this event. I was there and I was not able to save my brother,” Mr Baig said. He alleged that people were hitting, pushing and shoving others and “did not care for anyone’s life”.

Mr Baig also claimed that the rapper “provoked" those in attendance and did not stop the show.

Danish Baig was the middle child of five siblings and their family had moved from Karachi in Pakistan to Texas when he was a baby.

“He had a huge heart. He would take care of everybody. He was basically the centre that would bring everyone together. He was the funny one, the goofy one, the outgoing one. Our brothers and sisters have our own personalities, but he was the glue to it all,” his brother Ammar Baig told PEOPLE.

At least two investigations, one of them criminal, have been launched into the deadly concert.

Scott and the organisers have also been sued by an injured concertgoer who termed the event a “predictable and preventable tragedy.”

Seeking $1m in damages, the lawsuit claims the tragedy was the result of “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety” and the “encouragement of violence.”

The youngest victim has been identified as John Hilgert, 14, a high school freshman and athlete. Other victims include Brianna Rodriguez, a 16-year-old with a passion for dance; Rodolfo Angel Peña, a 23-year-old student and aspiring model who intended to become a border patrol agent; and college students Franco Patino and Jacob Jurinek. Patino was attending the show to celebrate the birthday of his best friend, Jurinek.

Signs of potential crowd-control issues came earlier in the day, when people were reportedly hopping turnstiles and fences to enter the sold-out festival without tickets, which led to a crowd size that organisers were unprepared for and overwhelmed medical units. Around 9.30pm, organisers became aware of medical emergencies and began to shut down the event.

According to reports, the organisers and the media team were underprepared to handle the intensity of the crisis on Friday. A disturbing video making rounds on social media showed first-responders dropping a victim on her head.

Scott issued a statement on Saturday morning, saying: “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened. Houston Police Department has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”

He added: "I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.”