Astroworld attendee caught in crowd crush talks to Aussie DJ

A festivalgoer at the Astroworld concert which claimed eight young lives has opened up in an Australian radio interview describing how his heart stopped in one of the crowd surges and an off-duty nurse saved his life. 

Arturo Sanchez was at the Travis Scott headlined event in Houston, Texas on Friday which left more than 300 others injured as they were crushed in the chaotic crowd. 

Mr Sanchez described how he ‘wanted to get out’ within 30 seconds of the concert starting but lost his footing before another man fell on his chest and waves of audience members stampeded over them. 

Speaking to HIT Queensland’s Breakfast with Cliffo and Gabi, Mr Sanchez said the evening started fairly normally though the crowd was already massive hours before Travis Scott was set to perform. 

He said he waited in the merchandise line for four-and-a-half hours to buy a souvenir and there were ‘surges of people wanting to come in – breaking in essentially – there were two or three waves of them… That was hectic right there’. 

About 6pm he went to the main stage and headed towards a section barricaded off for VIPs at the front and waited another couple of hours for him to begin. 

‘I was in a pretty good spot to record and stuff, but that didn’t happen. To be completely honest with you, it (went wrong) in the first song.’ 

‘I would be lying to say in the first 30 seconds I didn’t want out of where I was’

He said ‘everything went downhill’ when he tried to go to the back of the general admission area – where he assumed it would be calmer – but people were surging forward and he lost his balance.  

‘I fell to the floor… a heavier set guy fell on top of me, sitting on my chest.’ 

‘I was screaming for help, trying to get someone’s attention by grabbing people’s arms, pinching people’s thighs… to get someone’s attention to help me up, to help the guy up above me so I could breathe a little bit.’ 

The crowd at the Astroworld festival on Friday (pictured) erupted into chaos as crowds surged leaving eight people dead 

‘No-one was paying attention to me, they couldn’t see me , because they were all practically stepping on us at this point.’ 

Mr Sanchez said he recalls trying to take a couple of deep breathes and then he doesn’t remember anything. 

‘I think at that point I flatlined,’ he said.

An off-duty registered nurse who was attending the concert with her boyfriend immediately leapt into action, realising Mr Sanchez was not breathing and his heart had stopped. 

‘They put my legs up and did chest compressions – they didn’t do CPR till later.’

‘There were three other bodies that were blue in the face (nearby to him on the ground) and had already passed.’ 

‘They were able to bring me back and that’s why I am here.’

Festivalgoers watch on as CPR is performed on a member of the crowd who collapsed in the stampede (pictured) 

Mr Sanchez said he is now ‘doing good’ but has emotional moments when he sees his family and friends.

‘I have a lot of soreness around my body. Lots of bruises on my face and the side of my head but those will wear off in time, I’m just happy to be alive.’

Mr Sanchez shared a picture of himself with Sophie, the nurse from California, to Twitter on Monday.  

‘This beautiful soul gave me another chance at life. Without her help I would have been another casualty at the Astroworld Fest.’ 

‘Lucky for me I had a guardian angel looking over me that night. I cannot say thank you enough. You are my hero.’ 

Former Ole Miss student, 23, who was pulled away from her brother’s arms in frenzied Astroworld stampede is identified as the deadly Travis Scott concert’s eighth victim

By Brian Stieglitz and Jimmy McClosky for DailyMail.com

A 23-year-old former Ole Miss student whose brother tried to pull her to safety before she disappeared into the crowd has been identified as the eighth victim at Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert.  

Madison Dubiski, of Cypress, and her younger brother Ty were at the concert in Houston, Texas, together on Friday night. 

They were physically pulled apart during the show, and as Ty tried to pull her to safety, Madison was sucked into the crowd, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

Dubiski is among the eight people who were killed in the ensuing frenzied stampede as rapper Scott continued with his set for at least another 30 minutes, ignoring pleas from panicked concertgoers to stop the music. Hundreds of people were injured and at least 13 are still being treated in hospital. 

Dubiski studied at the University of Mississippi between 2016 and 2017 and worked in advertising and marketing, reported the Houston Chronicle. She went to Cy-Fair High School, where she was a Varsity cheerleader and member of National Charity League, a community service organization for mothers and their daughters in middle and high school.

Friends said that her mother Michelle was her best friend and that she was very close with Ty, who graduated from Cy-Fair in 2019.  

Dubiski was at the show with her younger brother Ty, but the two were pulled apart in the crowd

‘She was super bright, uplifting and just an all-around sweet girl,’ Lauren Vogler, a former classmate, told the Houston Chronicle. ‘I cheered with her when we were younger, and she was always so encouraging. She was definitely the life of the party and loved by so many people.’

Dubiski was also a devoted Astros fan, her favorite color was pink and she was always there for her friends, Vogler said, adding ‘She was definitely one of the ‘too glam to give a damn!’ kind of girls.’

Riley Dimeo shared a tribute on Facebook for Dubiski, who she called her ‘best friend, secret keeper, sissy, and soulmate’ and said that after Astroworld, there ‘will forever be a piece of my heart missing’

She wrote, ‘I have never known such pure love and friendship until Madison came into my life and I’m not really sure how life will continue without her. If you were fortunate enough to know mads you knew how beautiful, sweet, kind, generous, and loving she really was. She had a special way of making every single person she encountered in life feel special, appreciated, and accepted no matter what.’

Dimeo continued, ‘I still cannot wrap my head around this tragedy or accept that fact that she is gone. Justice will come for our girl. I just know she is the most fabulous angel in Heaven. It was a true honor to call you my best friend and now my guardian angel. I love you forever. Until we meet again sissy girl. Please keep her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers through this difficult time.’ 

Other victims included University of Dayton student Franco Patino, 21, who was attending the event with his best friend, 20-year-old Jacob Jurinek, when both were trampled to death. 

Jurinek had bought the tickets six months before the show to celebrate his upcoming 21st birthday on November 20. 

The two young men grew up together in Naperville, Illinois, met in elementary school and were reuniting at the concert to celebrate. 

‘They met in elementary school [in Naperville] and were best friends every step of each other lives,’ Franco’s brother Cesar Patino told reporters.  

Other victims included University of Dayton student Franco Patino (left), 21, who was attending the event with his best friend, 20-year-old Jacob Jurinek, when both were trampled to death 

 Patino was a huge fan of the rapper, traveling from southern Ohio to Houston for the concert, according to WGN9.  

Jurinek, better known as Jake, attended Southern Illinois University. 

Patino was studying engineering and was a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and the Alpha Psi Lambda.  

He was also a part of the society’s special interest house, which he founded with fellow student Andy Prieto to create.

‘Andy and I worked together day and night to make this dream come true because we believed it was a necessity to have a house for Hispanics to come together and have a little piece of familiar culture in a predominantly white institution,’ Patino said in an article about the society on the university’s website.    

Jurinek is listed as a junior studying journalism on SIU’s ‘People Finder’ site.  

‘We are brokenhearted to lose a member of the Saluki family, Jacob Jurinek, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends,’ SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane said in a statement Sunday. ‘Jacob was a creative, intelligent young man, with a promising career in journalism and advertising. As we mourn this loss in our community, we will keep Jacob’s family and friends in our thoughts.’

John Hilgert, 14, the youngest victim of the tragedy, was a ninth grader at Memorial High School in Houston and was remembered as a talented baseball player, as well as a popular student. 

John Hilgert, 14, was the youngest victim of the horrific crush which killed eight people at Friday night’s Astroworld Festival in Houston

A spokesman for Spring Branch ISD said: ‘Our hearts go out to the student’s family and to his friends and our staff at Memorial. This is a terrible loss, and the entire MHS family is grieving today.

‘Please keep the student’s family in your thoughts and prayers as they face this tragedy. We will make counselors available to students next week to offer any help and support needed.’

John’s baseball coach Justin Higgs also paid a heartfelt tribute on Instagram. He wrote: ‘RIP John Hilgert. He got the Call up to the Major Leagues by the Almighty! John made an impact on anyone who met him and they always remembered him. I have memories of John I’ll never forget. 

‘You had to love the kid. No option not too cause he was who he was. He loved the game of baseball. Was a privilege to coach this young man. Many prayers go out to any of his friends, teammates, and his family… especially Ms. Hilgert. 

‘One of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met. John was an Angel the whole time I knew him… impacting others for good and he himself was a legend. The legend of John. Will meet again John. Till then watch over us my friend. Catcher, pitcher, shortstop, great kid. Lived his life to the fullest.’ 

Scott organized the lineup for the Astroworld Festival in his native Houston

Hilgret attended Friday’s concert with his long-time friend, Robby Hendrix, 15.

Hendrix’s mother, Tracy Faulkner, bought her son’s ticket it for his birthday and ‘ultimately regrets the decision.’

‘Everything about that night was a tragedy,’ Faulkner told the Houston Chronicle. ‘They were both in the same place at the same time and one came home and one we will never see.’

She said Hilgret and Hendrix had known each other for years and played football together.

‘John was a good student and athlete and so polite. He was the sweetest and smartest young man,’ she shared. 

Hilgert was pictured at the same time as Houston’s medical examiner shared a photo of another male victim’s body they were unable to identify.

That man’s family has since come forward, and he has been identified as Axel Acosta, 21, KTRK reported. 

Axel Acosta, 21, had traveled from Washington to attend the festival – his first concert. Cops shared a photo of his body after they were unable to identify him 

Acosta had traveled from Washington to attend his first ever concert, his aunt Cynthia said. His father, Edgar, identified his remains at Memorial Medical Hospital. 

Acosta turned 21 last month, and had been studying computer science at Western Washington University. His dad said he had struggled to file a missing person’s report in the wake of the deadly crush because the family lives out of state.   

A brother of one of the other victims slammed the ‘poorly’ managed event ran by ‘horrible’ people. 

Danish Baig, 27, was one of people who died after a surge at the concert.  

Baig was killed after trying to save a relative during the stampede at the concert, his brother Basil Baig confirmed on Facebook. 

‘My brother was killed in this horrendous Astroworld event that was managed poorly and supervised by such horrible people,’ Basil wrote on Facebook. 

He commended his late brother for his ‘courageous act’ and called him a ‘beautiful soul.’  

Others whose deaths have been confirmed to various news outlets are 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez and Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Peña, 23.

A visitor writes a note at the NRG Park memorial

Around 2pm hundreds of fans stormed the festival’s VIP entrance. About seven hours later the surge in front of the main stage killed eight people but the two events appear to be unrelated

‘My brother tried to save my sister in law from these horrendous acts that were being done to her in the process he lost his life,’ Basil wrote. 

‘My brother Danish Baig [is] a beautiful soul whos[e] smile would light up the room and put everyone before himself. Last night he showed his courageous act to save my sister in law from those horrendous things that were being done. 

‘I was there and I wasn’t able to save my brother.’ 

Basil reported that people were ‘hitting,’ ‘pushing’ and ‘shoving’ and ‘did not care for anyone’s life.’ 

He also alleged that superstar rapper and baby daddy to Kylie Jenner’s daughter Stormi ‘provoked these people and made them do just that [stampede] and more he called people to the stage to jump into the crowd and did not stop the show.’ 

Danish Baig, 27 (right), was killed at Travis Scott’s Astroworld after saving a relative during the stampede on Friday, his brother said

Basil also said: ‘This was not the end my family and I will go to the Full extent to make sure he is brought to justice.’ 

Two others were identified by their families to have died at the tragic event.  

Brianna Rodriguez, 16, People confirmed, and Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Peña, 23, confirmed by the Laredo Morning Times, were among the eight. 

Rodriguez was a dancer and a junior in high school. 

‘Gone from our sites, but never from our hearts,’ her wrote family on Facebook. 

Her family started a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses. It has raised $8,910 out of its $30,000 goal.  

Peña was an aspiring model and had dreams of becoming a U.S. Border Patrol agent, according to USA Today.  

He drove five hours from Laredo to Houston with his friends to attend the show, where he died of cardiac arrest.  

His sister told the Laredo Morning Times: ‘My brother was the sweetest person, friendly, outgoing, he had many friends because he was always there for everyone. Yes, he was a big fan of Travis, he loved his music.’

Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Pena, 23, was an aspiring model and dreamed of one day being a US Border Patrol agent. He died of cardiac arrest

Brianna Rodriguez, 16, (left) was a dancer and junior in high school. On Saturday, the family of 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez confirmed that she was one of the eight victims who died

Approximately 50,000 people attended the sold-out Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on Friday. Witnesses said the chaos broke out after Scott took the stage to perform. 

The surge happened at 9:15 p.m. and the ‘mass casualty incident’ was declared at that time. Nearly an hour later, at 10:10 p.m., the concert producer Live Nation halted the show. 

Earlier on Friday, hundreds of people were filmed stampeding through a VIP entrance at the Live Nation-organized event, sparking fears of overcrowding and poor crowd control. 

Scott, 29, continued to perform after eight people were crushed to death – including two victims aged just 14 and 16 – in what one witness described as a ‘floor of bodies.’ 

Video circulating on Twitter shows fans chanting ‘stop the show’ as concertgoers were being knocked down and crushed by other attendees.  

Although he completed his 75-minute performance, at one point Scott was filmed calling for help. In another video he stood on a platform with his microphone while chaos unfolded beneath him.

Eight people were killed at the event after a crowd surge happened 

As the chaos unfolded the rapper, who completed his show, even appeared to glance in the direction of passed-out fans as the show went on. Scott halted the performance at least once was filmed calling for security to help distressed fans in the front row. 

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner revealed during a press conference Saturday that the dead ranged in age from 14 to 27. Their cause of death has not yet been determined.  

Meanwhile, Scott’s girlfriend Kylie Jenner, who is pregnant with their second child and attended the event, was blasted online for posting a clip of an ambulance tending to the injured and dead as the chaos unfolded.  

But other videos from the night showed distraught fans begging concert staff to halt the performance and help people escape the surge.

‘People are f***ing dying, I want to save somebody’s life,’ a man said as he climbed on a platform where a cameraman was filming the performance.