HARRIS COUNTY, TX. (THECOUNT) — The 10 people who lost their lives during crowd surge at the Astroworld music festival in Houston died from compression asphyxia, officials announced Thursday. Compression asphyxia is a type of mechanical asphyxia, where respiration is prevented by external pressure on the body, at the same time inhibiting respiratory movements and compromising venous return from the head.
“Medical examiners with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in Houston had to wait several weeks following the Nov. 5 concert by rap superstar Travis Scott for additional test results before making final determinations on cause and manner of the deaths, reports EpochTimes.
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The youngest victim was 9-year-old Ezra Blount. The others who died ranged in age from 14 to 27. Medical examiners said contributing factors in one man’s death were cocaine, methamphetamine and ethanol, a form of alcohol.
The Houston Police Chief was so concerned about crowd control at the Astroworld Festival, he went to Scott’s trailer to express concern over the “energy in the crowd,” according to TMZ.
Police Chief Troy Finner said the “energy” in anticipation of the festival had been escalating for months — This according to the NY Times. The Chief attributed the energy to the pandemic, the fact that tickets went for hundreds of dollars and the event itself had a history of crowds that were difficult to control.
Compression asphyxia, a form of mechanical asphyxia, is a commonly documented phenomenon in certain real-world circumstances.
Like the Astroworld victims, George Floyd reportedly also died as a result of a form of compression asphyxia. Former police officer Derek Chauvin was caught on video kneeling on the neck of Floyd for an extended period of time while ignoring pleas from a group of onlookers. He recently plead guilty to violating Floyd’s civil rights in a move some say could benefit him legally following his conviction on all counts.
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Geo quick facts: Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, located in the southeastern part of the state near Galveston Bay. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4,092,459, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States – Wikipedia.