All of the victims died from compression asphyxia, which is when pressure prevents normal breathing from occuring.
The victims of the Astroworld concert tragedy died from accidental compression asphyxia, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Over 50,000 people attended the November 5 festival, where ten people died and hundreds were injured in the crowd surge. Compression asphyxia was listed a cause of death for all ten victims. An additional cause of death for 27-year-old victim Mirza Danish Baig was listed as the combined effects of cocaine, methamphetamine and ethanol. Compression asphyxia, also known as traumatic asphyxia, occurs when external pressure is placed on the chest that prevents normal breathing and is often “associated with internal injuries,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
