HOUSTON, Texas — Emergency plans for the Astroworld music festival in Houston did not include protocols for dangerous crowd surges, even though that's what authorities believe happened Friday night when eight people died as rapper Travis Scott performed.

Hundreds of others were injured, including a 9-year-old boy whose family said was still in a coma on Tuesday. Attendees described scenes of panic in the crowd as fans pressed forward when Scott took to the stage.

The concert area remains largely in place as authorities continue a criminal investigation.

The Associated Press reports that a 56-page safety plan for the festival included protocols for active shooters, bomb threats and severe weather. However, the plan did not include protocols for a potential crowd surge.

Houston's police and fire departments played a key role in keeping the 50,000 attendees safe at the concert. However, the union head of the Houston Fire Department pushed back Tuesday, saying firefighters did not have a presence inside the festival and were not given radios to communicate directly with organizers, even though they had asked for them.

"We don't use cellphones for emergencies. We use radios. We need direct contact because as situations unfold, seconds matter," Marty Lancton said.

More than 20 lawsuits have already been filed, accusing organizers of failing to take simple crowd-control steps or staff properly.

Houston's police and fire departments have already vowed to conduct their own investigation into the tragedy. However, the top elected official in Harris County has called for an independent review of the tragedy in the hopes of removing any potential conflicts of interest.

During a press conference Wednesday, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner pushed back on the need for an independent investigation.

“Because I’m really confident on who we are here at HPD and I think we can do our own investigation," said Finner. "And let’s not jump ahead of things. We’re only a few days into this and I’m pretty confident with what our investigators are doing already.”

Finner said the ultimate authority to end the show was with production and Scott.

"And that should be through communication with public safety officials," said Finner.

The chief was also asked about his relationship with Scott and whether it should be considered a conflict of interest.

“If you call meeting him twice a special relationship – and I’m not being smart, I just want to be open and transparent – that’s not a close relationship to me. I’ve only spoken to him twice. So, let’s put that to rest,” said Finner.

Finner noted that merchandise tents played a role in the craziness at the event.

“A big thing and big challenge was merchandise tents, very sought-after merchandise. That’s what caused some of the kids rushing towards that and breaking barriers, breaking down barriers,” said Finner.

The chief added that the investigation is going to take time.

“Timelines are a major focus of the investigation right now. This type of investigation is going to take weeks, possibly months, so I ask everyone to allow us to let the investigation lead us to the facts as to what, how and why this occurred,” said Finner.

A concertgoer who was trampled Friday during Travis Scott's performance in Houston has filed a lawsuit against the rapper and several entities involved in hosting the deadly music festival.

Eight people died, and 25 people were hospitalized Friday during Scott's performance at the Astroworld music festival.

According to KHOU-TV and CNN, attorneys with the Kherkher Garcia Law Firm filed the lawsuit Sunday on behalf of a 35-year-old man who was allegedly trampled during the concert on Friday.

The suit alleges "gross negligence" and claims that organizers failed to institute proper safety measures during the set.

"I'm hearing the word trapped. I'm hearing the words 'not being able to breathe.' I'm hearing the word 'drowning,'" attorney Ryan Macleod said according to KHOU, describing the conditions during Scott's performance Friday.

During the set Friday, concertgoers constantly rushed toward the stage, pushing fans closer and closer together and closer and closer to barriers. The stage rushing came after concertgoers jumped barriers and evaded ticket-takers hours before the performance.

CNN reports that Scott's performance began around 9 p.m. local time, at which point police began receiving calls about injuries in the crowd. Police declared a "mass casualty event" around 9:40 p.m., but Scott's performance continued until after 10 p.m.

As of Monday morning, seven of the eight people killed had been identified. The victims ranged in age from as young as 14 to as old as 27.

In a press conference Saturday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said that an investigation into the tragedy was ongoing.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions. Over the next several days, several weeks could be even longer. We'll take an in-depth look at everything that took place," Turner said.

On Saturday evening, Scott took to his Instagram story to address the situation. Though the video expired after 24 hours, it has since been posted to other platforms, like YouTube.

"I just want to send out prayers to the ones that was lost last night," Scott said. We're actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time. You know, my fans really mean the world to me, and I always just want to leave them with a positive experience, and any time I can make out anything that's going on, you know I stop the show, and you know, help them get the help they need. I could just never imagine the severity of the situation.

"We've been working closely with everyone to just try and get to the bottom of this — the city of Houston, HPD, fire department. You know, everyone that will help us figure this out. If you have any information, please just contact your local authorities.

"Everybody, continue to keep your prayers. I mean, I'm honestly just devastated. I could never imagine anything like this happening. I'm going to do everything I can to keep you guys updated and keep you guys informed on what's going on."