They included high schoolers, an aspiring Border Patrol agent and a computer science student.
Authorities on Monday released the names of the eight people who died at a Houston music festival, as investigators watched video, interviewed witnesses and reviewed procedures to try to determine what went wrong when the crowd rushed the stage during a performance by the rapper Travis Scott. Hundreds more were injured when the tragedy unfolded at the sold-out Astroworld festival Friday night. Some 50,000 people attended the event. Medical examiners have still not released the causes of death, which could take several weeks, said Michele Arnold, a spokeswoman with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. “It’s not the crowd’s fault at all, because there was no way you could even move, it was just like a mass loss of control,” said Ben Castro,19. He returned to the venue Monday to leave flowers at a makeshift memorial that included notes, T-shirts and candles. He said he didn’t know anyone had died until the next day. The dead were between the ages of 14 and 27 and were from Texas, Illinois and Washington, according to Harris County authorities. They included high schoolers, an aspiring Border Patrol agent and a computer science student. As young as a high school freshman and from as far away as Washington state. Authorities on Monday released the identifies of the eight people who died after fans at the Astroworld music festival in Houston suddenly pushed forward when rapper Travis Scott came on stage. Harris County officials did not release the cause and manner in which the victims died. Michele Arnold, a spokeswoman with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences that conducts all autopsies in Harris County, said in a statement it could be weeks before that information is available. A picture of some of the people who died emerged over the weekend as their families and friends shared stories with reporters and on social media. The dead ranged from 14 to 27 years old, according to Houston officials. As of Sunday,13 people remained hospitalized. Harris County officials said Monday they didn’t have updated information on those who were hospitalized. City officials have said they are in the early stages of investigating what caused the pandemonium at the sold-out event founded by Scott and attended by about 50,000 fans. ‘LOVED HIS MOM’ Franco Patino,21, was working toward a mechanical engineering technology degree at the University of Dayton, with a minor in human movement biomechanics, his father, Julio Patino, told The Associated Press. He was a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, a Hispanic interest fraternity, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and was working in an engineering co-op program.
