A University of Dayton student was among the eight killed Friday while attending the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, according to a campus-wide email sent by the university Saturday evening.
Franco Patino, 21 from Naperville, Illinois, was a senior at UD studying mechanical engineering technology with a minor in human movement biomechanics.
News:Astroworld attendees call Travis Scott's festival 'dangerous,' say help was slow to arrive
According to the email, Patino was a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, a coeducational Latino fraternity, and was a part of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers on campus. Patino was also working in an engineering cooperative program in Mason, Ohio.
What is the Astroworld Festival?
Astroworld is a Houston music festival founded by rapper Travis Scott. An estimated 50,000 people were in attendance Friday evening in NRG Park, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said in an overnight news briefing.
Concert surges, fires and shootings:Before Astroworld Festival, these disasters hit music venues
What happened at Travis Scott's Astroworld concert?
According to Houston authorities, a crowd surge began when Scott, the festival headliner, took to the stage. 25 people were transported to the hospital, and 13 are still hospitalized, reported USA Today. Of those injured, at least 11 suffered from cardiac arrest.
"The crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries," said Peña. "People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic."
'I am absolutely devastated':Travis Scott responds to fatal Astroworld concert
Peña said that beyond those hospitalized, around 300 people were treated on the site of the concert for injuries as well. The fire chief added that while Astroworld had medical personnel at the festival, they "were quickly overwhelmed" by the injury count, according to USA Today.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a news conference Saturday that the victims who died range from age 14 to 27. Houston officials also reported that a 10-year-old is in critical condition.
Source link
