ABC News' Astroworld timeline gives organized view of the disaster

ByMycah Hatfield WPVI logo
Friday, November 19, 2021
ABC News' Astroworld timeline gives organized view of the disaster
As another lawsuit is filed in the wake of the Astroworld disaster, a newly released video timeline offers a minute-by-minute breakdown coupled with what happened in the crowd and on stage.

HOUSTON, Texas -- Since the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival that left 10 people dead, law enforcement said they are working to piece together a timeline of events.

Houston police's homicide division is leading the criminal investigation. A spokesperson said they are reviewing hundreds of hours of video and speaking to witnesses.

There were two stages at the festival. Eight performers took to the "Thrills" stage earlier on Nov. 5. Headliner Travis Scott was the only performer scheduled for the "Chills" stage that day.

About more than 50,000 people packed the area in front of the "Utopia Mountain" to watch.

ABC News used video from concertgoers and Apple Music and information from law enforcement to create a timeline of their own.

  • 9:02 p.m. Travis Scott takes the stage, as shown on Apple Music's livestream
  • 9:05 p.m. Concertgoers reported the crowd surge already started and they were having trouble standing up
  • 9:07 p.m. Panic began and people in the crowd were already in need of medical attention
  • 9:11 p.m. At least one person in the crowd attempted to call 911 for help
  • 9:25 p.m. Travis Scott stopped the show to address a fan who needed help. This was one of three times he would stop his performance
  • 9:28 p.m. Medical staff responded to someone unresponsive just behind the reserved section
  • 9:32 p.m. A Texas A&M student climbed onto a camera platform and asked the operator for help. The show continued
  • 9:38 p.m. Emergency officials declared the Astroworld Festival a mass casualty event. Music continued
  • 9:43 p.m. Video from a concertgoer shows security lift a limp body from the crowd and security was seen speaking with police and moving quickly through the hordes of people
  • 9:55 p.m. An ambulance attempted to get through the packed NRG parking lot. Video shows a man dancing on top of it
  • At 10:12 pm. Travis Scott is seen on Apple Music's Livestream telling his fans to get home safely

The event plan showed only two people had the authority to stop the show: the executive producer and the festival director. Police officials told the Houston Chronicle that Live Nation agreed to cut the show short, but Scott continued his set.

Scott's team told ABC News that he did not know what was happening in the crowd.

Houston police have not given any indication of when an update on the investigation will be made public.

For more updates on the Astroworld Festival tragedy, follow Mycah Hatfield on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.