At least eight people were killed and more injured when a crowd surged toward a stage at a Houston music festival on Friday night, squeezing audience members who had nowhere to escape, officials said.
About 50,000 people were at the sold-out outdoor Astroworld Festival at NRG Park -- the stadium complex where the Astrodome and the NRG Stadium stand -- when the incident happened just after 9 p.m. CT, officials said.
Video from the event showed the performer on stage -- rapper and event organizer Travis Scott -- pause and look on in confusion as an ambulance with flashing lights moved into the densely packed crowd.
"The crowd for whatever reason began to push and surge towards the front of the stage, which caused the people in the front to be compressed -- they were unable to escape that situation," Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña told CNN Saturday morning.
That sparked panic, and the situation worsened and overwhelmed security personnel there, he said.
"People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic," Peña said at a news conference.
More than 300 people were treated at a field hospital set up near the festival, Peña said.
Twenty-three people were taken to hospitals, and eight of them died, Peña said. One patient is 10 years old, and at last check was in critical condition, Peña told CNN Saturday morning.
More than 300 people were treated at a field hospital set up near the festival, Peña said.
The event, now in its third year, is organized by Scott, a Houston native. It had been scheduled to run from Friday through Saturday, according to the event's website.
The festival was slated to feature artists including SZA, Bad Bunny and 21 Savage.
Houston mayor offered condolences to the loved ones of those killed.