Travis Scott announced Monday plans to cover the funeral costs for the eight victims who died at the Astroworld music festival this past weekend.
In a press release, the 30-year-old rapper also announced a partnership with BetterHelp to provide further aid for individuals impacted by the tragedy. The company is offering free online sessions with a licensed therapist for those who sign up here.
The news arrives less than three days after eight people, ranging from 14 to 27 years old, died Friday night during a crowd surge at Astroworld in Houston, TX. Of the additional 17 people that were transported to local hospitals, 13 remain hospitalized (five of which are under the age of 18), and four have been discharged.
Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said the crowd started to rush toward the stage around 9:15 p.m. CT. People started passing out, inciting more panic, at which point the Houston Police Department declared a mass casualty incident.
“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,” Peña said during a news conference early Saturday morning.
Scott took to Instagram Saturday night to post a video in which he said he is “devastated” over the deadly events that unfolded at Friday.
“I just wanna send prayers to the ones that was lost last night ...” he told fans in a video posted to Instagram. “You know my fans really mean the world to me, and I always really wanna leave them with a positive experience.”
