The family of a nine-year-old boy who is now in a coma following the crowd surge at the Astroworld festival has revealed that they are "praying for a miracle".
As reported by CNN, the opening night of the two-night festival - which was founded by 30-year-old rapper Travis 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 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.
ABC News reporter Mycah Hatfield shared the moment a "stampede" of people charged through one of the security gates:One of the youngest victims to be transported to hospital is nine-year-old Ezra Blount, who is currently in a coma after he fell into a cardiac arrest at the event.
Per the ABC13, Ezra attended the festival with his father, and at one point during the show, watched on while sitting on his dad's shoulders.
However, as scores of people started to push their way to the front, Ezra's father was crushed by the crowd. The boy's grandfather told KTRK: "My son had Ezra on his shoulders at the concert and my son couldn’t breathe because of all the pressure that was being applied to him and he passed out."
After passing out, Ezra fell to the ground, and was "trampled" by other concert-goers, his grandfather adds.
Amid the chaos, KTRK also reports that Ezra's dad was treated at the on-site medical station. When he woke up, he was informed that Ezra had been taken to hospital in cardiac arrest.
The family has since revealed that as well as being in a coma, Ezra is suffering from damage to his kidney, lungs, and heart and is suffering from brain swelling.
Ezra's grandfather also said that the family is now "praying for a miracle", and has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the boy's medical bills. As of this writing, it currently stands at over $8,500.
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."
However, despite never naming Scott by name, Ezra's grandfather has said that he has "seen apologies online that didn’t look sincere from people who participated in that event".
The Houston Police Department tweeted on Sunday revealing that an investigation into the mass casualty event is active and "in its early stages."
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