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12th Nov 2021

Student, 22, becomes ninth person to die after Astroworld tragedy

Charlie Herbert

Travis Scott has offered to pay for the funeral costs of the victims

A 22-year-old student has become the ninth person to die from a crowd surge during Travis Scott’s performance at Astroworld Festival.

Bharti Shahani, who was a college senior at Texas A&M University, died on Wednesday, her attorney James Lassiter announced.

Lassiter told a news conference: “Bharti was a shining star in the community.

“She was a sister, a daughter, a high-achieving college student about to graduate from Texas A&M University with high, high grades.”

It was her first ever concert.

In an emotional news conference, her heartbroken mother said that she felt “empty”.

The news of a ninth victim from the concert comes after the rapper offered to pay for the funeral costs of the victims and any mental health counselling that their relatives may require.

In a statement, Scott asked victims of the stampede to contact him directly with requests for help via a dedicated email address.

His representatives said he and his team “have been actively exploring routes of connection with each and every family affected by the tragedy through the appropriate liaisons”.

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At least two people remain in a critical condition following the stampede last weekend, including a nine-year-old boy whose family says has been placed in a medically induced coma.

A criminal investigation into the deaths has been launched, and the victims’ families are suing Scott and Drake, who appeared with him on stage, for inciting the crowd.

When asked if the show should have been stopped, Houston fire chief Samuel Pena told NBC’s Today Show: “Absolutely. Everybody at that event has a responsibility, starting from the artist… down.

“At one point, there was an ambulance that was trying to make its way through the crowd. And he’s got, the artist has, command of that crowd.

“The artist, if he notices something that’s going on, he can certainly pause that performance, turn on the lights and say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to continue until this thing is resolved.'”