Who were the victims of the Astroworld Festival tragedy?

Details are now emerging about some of the nine people who died after fans at the Astroworld music festival in Houston surged towards the stage during a performance by rapper Travis Scott. Family members and friends have begun to share accounts of their loved ones with journalists and through social media. Authorities have not yet released the names of those killed. But Mary Benton, spokeswoman for Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, said identities would be made public on Monday. City officials said they were in the early stages of investigating what caused the pandemonium at the sold-out event founded by Scott. About 50,000 people were there. Experts said crowd surges are often a result of too many people packed into a small space. The victims included a dancer, an engineering student and an aspiring border patrol agent. The 22-year-old college student became the ninth person killed in the tragedy, nearly one week after the events took place. Shahani was studying at Texas A&M University. She died of "horrific injuries" sustained at the rap concert, James Lassiter, a lawyer for the family, said on Thursday. Shahani attended the concert with her sister and cousin who survived. "We want to make sure that the people who decided to put profits over the safety of the lives of children are held responsible," said Mr Lassiter in a news conference attended by Shahani's family. The 21-year-old was working towards a mechanical engineering technology degree at the University of Dayton. Franco’s father Julio Patino described his son as a charismatic, energetic leader who was active in his community and intent on helping people with disabilities. He said his son was working with a team on a new medical device and wanted to find a way to help his mother walk again after she was severely injured in a car accident in Mexico two years ago. Mr Patino said his son broke a door to free his mum from the wreckage. “He loved his mum,” Mr Patino said. “He said everything that he was doing, it was trying to help his mum. The entire goal.” Julio Patino, of Naperville, Illinois, was in London on business when the phone rang around 3am. He answered it and heard his wife, Teresita, crying. “The doctor was giving us the news that our son had passed away,” Mr Patino said. The 20-year-old Southern Illinois University-Carbondale student was “pursuing his passion for art and media,” his family said on Sunday. He was two weeks short of his 21st birthday. He was attending the concert with Franco Patino, his friend and former high school football teammate. He was deeply committed to his family and was known as “Big Jake” by his younger cousins. He became very close with his father Ron Jurinek after Jake’s mother died in 2011. “In the decade since, Jake and Ron were inseparable – attending White Sox and Blackhawks games, sharing their love of professional wrestling, and spending weekends with extended family and friends at Jake’s favourite place, the family cottage in Southwestern Michigan,” the family said. A "hardworking man" who identified himself on Facebook as a district manager for AT&T, he appeared to be a devoted fan of NFL team the Dallas Cowboys. He was among those who died at the concert, his brother Basil Baig said on Facebook. “He was [an] innocent young soul who would always put others before him. He was a hardworking man who loved his family and took care of us. He was there in a heartbeat for anything. He always had a solution to everything,” Basil Baig told ABC News. The family of the 16-year-old told People magazine she was among those who died at the concert. She was a student at Heights High School and loved dancing, the family said. The 21-year-old computer science student at Western Washington University was among the people who died at the festival, his father, Edgar Acosta, told KOMO-TV. The university in Bellingham, Washington, said on Sunday: “By all accounts, Axel was a young man with a vibrant future. We are sending our condolences to his family on this very sad day.” The Laredo College student from Laredo, Texas, wanted to be a border patrol agent, his friend Stacey Sarmiento said. She described him as a people person. “Rudy was a close friend of mine,” she said. “We met in high school. He was an athlete… He brought happiness anywhere he went. He was easy to get along with. It was like positive vibes from him at all times. We all came to have a good time … it was just horrible in there.”

Who were the victims of the Astroworld Festival tragedy?

Family members and friends of people killed in crush during Travis Scott performance have begun to share information