The family of a 16-year-old girl who died following the crowd surge at the Astroworld festival has spoken out about how she'd "still be alive" if Travis Scott's team had shut down the concert sooner.
Per CNN, the opening night of the two-night festival - which was founded by Scott - ended in tragedy when a chaotic crowd surge among the 50,000 concert-goers resulted in eight people losing their lives.
Additionally, around 300 people were treated for injuries, as attendees rushed to the stage as 30-year-old Travis Scott - who was performing his set at the NRG Park in Houston, Texas.
As waves of people flocked to the front of the crowd, people were crushed and trampled, as emergency personnel scrambled to save trapped and injured festival-goers. Per BBC News, officials stated that 11 people were transported to hospitals in cardiac arrest.
Now, the family of 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez has spoken out about the teen's death.
Per news.com.au, Brianna was found unresponsive after she became separated from her friends in the crowd during the concert.
Now, Brianna's aunt, 38-year-old Iris Rodriguez, has told The Sun that the concert should have been canceled after scores of people were seen rushing the security gates and jumping barriers.
ABC News reporter Mycah Hatfield shared the moment a "stampede" of people charged through one of the security gates:Speaking of her niece's death, Iris told the outlet: "We were told that once [Brianna] was in the ambulance, she didn't have any pulse. But they tried to bring her back and in the hospital. They tried to do everything they could."
Iris told The Sun that after she had seen people rushing into the festival and breaking through the security barriers, that's when she believes the festival organizers should have canceled the show.
"I really believe in my heart this should have been shut down in the afternoon when they saw all these people going crazy," she said. "Had they done that, maybe she would have still been here."
The family is still awaiting autopsy results to officially reveal Brianna's cause of death.
"These young people went there to have a good time. They did not expect to wake up that morning and never go home again." Iris added.
Following the tragedy, Travis Scott took to Twitter to share a statement voicing his "absolute devastation."
The 30-year-old 'Love Galore' rapper wrote: "I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival."
He continued: "Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life. I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support."
The Houston Police Department tweeted on Sunday revealing that an investigation into the mass casualty event is active and "in its early stages."