HOUSTON (NewsNation Now) — A 22-year-old college student has become the ninth person to die after being critically injured in the crush of fans at the Astroworld festival.
Bharti Shahani, who was set to graduate from Texas A&M University in the spring, died Wednesday night, her family’s attorney James Lassiter said at a news conference.
All of the concertgoers who died on Nov. 5 were between the ages of 14 and 27. The youngest victim, a 9-year-old boy, remains in a medically induced coma, according to his family.
Hundreds of people were treated for injuries on-site and at least 13 were hospitalized. Officials have not released details about the fans who have been hospitalized, but about 50,000 attended the sold-out event headlined by festival curator Travis Scott.
Questions surrounding the concert’s safety and accountability remain. The City of Houston says the timeline of Scott’s performance is a major focus of the criminal investigation. So far, no charges have been filed.
Scott and his team said Thursday they have been “actively exploring routes of connection with each and every family affected by the tragedy through the appropriate liaisons.” Scott has said he would cover funeral costs for the victims and told families to contact him directly for help.
In the week since the tragedy, more than 20 lawsuits have been filed by the families of victims and concertgoers accusing Astroworld organizers of failing to take simple crowd-control steps or staff properly.
