特拉维斯·斯科特 为演唱会遇难的人们祈祷

For Jacob Jurinek, seing rapper Travis Scott headline the first Astroworld Festival in Houston seemed like the perfect way to celebrate his upcoming 21st birthday. So the Naperville, Ill., native and his best friend, Franco Patio, who was 21, saved up for the trip "for months," says Franco's older brother Julio Patio Jr.

"Franco was very excited. He was telling all his friends and family, 'I'm going to see Travis Scott!'" On Nov. 5, the two friends were among the 50,000 music lovers who descended on the 350-acre NRG Park for the third iteration of Houston native Scott's annual event.

But minutes before his 9 p.m. set, some of the crowd began to rush the stage, sparking chaos that grew more intense when he came out to perform. "Everyone kept getting squeezed tighter and tighter until we couldn't breathe," says concert attendee Lucas Naccarati, who was 26, of Arcadia, Calif.

"If you fell, it was impossible to get up. You were screwed." Eight people-ranging in age from 14 to 27-died, including both Franco and Jurinek.

More than 300 others were treated on-site or at nearby hospitals for concert-related injuries, including a 9-year-old boy who was in critical condition as of press time. "When people started to push toward the stage, the ones that were up front near the barriers weren't able to make their way out," says Houston fire chief Samuel Pea.

A criminal investigation has been launched by the Houston Police Department to look into the horrific turn of events. At least 19 lawsuits, most of them seeking more than $1 million in damages, have been brought against Scott, 30, and others, including performer Drake and Astroworld organizers Live Nation and ScoreMore.

In a Nov. 6, Twitter statement, Scott-whose pregnant girlfriend Kylie Jenner, who was 24, and their 3-year-old daughter Stormi, along with Kylie's sister Kendall Jenner, who was 26, were in attendance in a VIP area-said that he was "devastated" by the incident. "My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted," wrote Scott, who has said he'll provide funeral costs and mental health support for concertgoers.