Astroworld Victim Bharti Shahani Dies After Injury At Travis Scott Concert, Death Toll Rises To 9
The death toll from the Astroworld tragedy has sadly risen by one more.
Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old student, died on Wednesday night after suffering injuries during Travis Scott’s set last week, an attorney handling her case confirmed. Nine people have now passed away after being caught in a crowd surge that took place while the rapper was performing Friday night at NRG Park in Houston.
Shahani’s family previously shared with ABC 13 that she was on a ventilator at Houston Methodist Hospital, where doctors had determined she showed no brain activity. According to the outlet, Shahani had been transported to the facility by ambulance and CPR was administered on the way.
The Texas A&M senior attended the festival with her sister, Namrata Shahani, and cousin, Mohit Bellani, but the trio became separated amid the chaos.
Victims From Travis Scott’s Astroworld Music Festival Crowd Surge Remembered at Memorial
View Gallery“Once one person fell, people started toppling like dominos. It was like a sinkhole. People were falling on top of each other,” Bellani told ABC 13. “There were like layers of bodies on the ground, like two people thick. We were fighting to come up to the top and breathe to stay alive.”
Namrata added that once she and Bellani let go of Shahani’s hand, they didn’t see her again until she was in the ER.
A GoFundMe set up in Bharti’s honor had raised nearly $60,000 of its $75,000 goal as news of her loss made headlines.
Reps for Scott previously announced the “Sicko Mode” artist’s intent to cover funeral and mental health expenses for those affected by the devastating event. On Thursday, Scott’s team released a new statement to Access Hollywood further explaining the 30-year-old’s plans to give back.
“Over the last week, Travis Scott and his team have been actively exploring routes of connection with each and every family affected by the tragedy through the appropriate liaisons,” the statement read. “He is distraught by the situation and desperately wishes to share his condolences and provide aid to them as soon as possible, but wants to remain respectful of each family’s wishes on how they’d best like to be connected.”
The rapper has been named along with Astroworld organizers and promoters in dozens of civil lawsuits stemming from the tragedy. Authorities previously said in a press conference that a “mass casualty incident” was declared at 9:38 p.m. and Scott finished his planned set around 40 minutes later.
The hip-hop star has maintained that he was unaware of the gravity of the situation until hours after wrapping. Sources close to Scott told NBC News that he “immediately” left an afterparty at Dave & Buster’s upon learning that multiple deaths and injuries had taken place. Scott addressed fans in an emotional series of Instagram story videos over the weekend, saying he was “devastated” by the horrific events.
The FBI has joined the ongoing investigation, which is reportedly expected to take weeks if not months.