美国时间5日晚,在美国得克萨斯州最大城市休斯敦举行的“天文世界”音乐节上,人群过度拥挤并发生踩踏事故,造成至少8人死亡,25人受伤被送往医院,约300人在现场接受医学检查和治疗。有美媒报道称,美国当红说唱歌手特拉维斯•斯科特当时正在台上演唱。
At least eight people were killed and many others injured after a crowd surged forward while rapper Travis Scott was on stage at the Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday night.
视频来源:央视网
休斯敦市长特纳在新闻发布会上说,8名死者中包括两名未成年人。共有25名伤者被送往医院,目前仍有13人住院接受治疗,其中5人年龄在18岁以下,包括一名年仅10岁、生命垂危的儿童。
音乐节的主创者斯科特现年29岁,是休斯敦本地人,曾凭包括《天文世界》单曲和专辑在内的音乐作品8次获得格莱美奖提名。作为美国流行乐坛当红歌手,他的乐迷群体以年轻人居多,其中包括大量未成年人。
这一悲剧震惊全美,陆续有亲历者讲述了事件过程。从目前市政当局和媒体披露的情况及亲历者回忆来看,音乐节很可能存在秩序混乱、缺乏应急预案等诸多隐患。
演出曾数次暂停又继续
当晚美国中部时间9时许,特拉维斯•斯科特登上舞台时,人群向台前涌去导致悲剧发生。而据亲历者回忆,其实在此之前,现场的情形已经开始变糟了。
The tragedy occurred just after 9 p.m. CT as rapper Travis Scott was on stage. But before Scott even came out, things got ugly, fast. The crowd surged forward while Scott was on stage.
有视频显示,斯科特演出时,一辆救护车闪着灯驶入拥挤的现场,演出随即中断。当时斯科特看向台下,表情困惑。
Video from the event showed Scott paused and looked on in confusion during the performance as an ambulance with flashing lights moved into the densely packed crowd.
此外,视频中还能听到斯科特说道:“有辆救护车……哇……”,画面中可以看到疑似一辆紧急救护车辆的白色车顶,但是已被人潮吞没。
Scott pauses the show for the first time: "There's an ambulance in the ... whoah whoah," he said. In an aerial shot, the white top of what appears to be an emergency vehicle could be seen swallowed up in the crowd.
不过,在短暂的中断后,斯科特的演出继续。他继续鼓动观众:双手举起来,我要震动大地……
Moments later, Scott continues the show, re-energizing the audience: "Two hands to the sky, I want to make this ... ground shake."
不到15分钟后,斯科特暂停了表演说道:有人过来帮帮忙,有人晕倒了……别动他,别动他,所有人后退,安保过来帮帮忙,快一点……
But less than fifteen minutes later, he stops the show again."We need somebody to help, somebody passed out right here. ... Don't touch him, don't touch him, everybody just back up. Security, somebody help, jump in real quick,"
路透社报道称,在这一幕发生后,斯科特的表演又继续了。在加拿大歌手德雷克压轴上台前,斯科特再度要观众们“震动大地”。
The show continues moments later. Again, Scott calls on the audience to make the "earth quake," before sharing the stage with Canadian rapper, songwriter and actor Drake toward the end of the concert.
路透社:斯科特在“天文世界”的演出因发生人员伤亡出现多次中断
休斯敦消防局长培尼亚在新闻发布会上说,事发时,人群向前方舞台挤压,引发恐慌,有人摔倒昏迷,出现伤亡后再次在人群中引发更严重的恐慌。
"The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage and that caused some panic and it started causing some injuries," Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena told a press briefing outside NRG Park early Saturday morning.
一位昵称为“SeannaFaith”的网民在Instagram上分享了她当晚的遭遇,称现场很多人遭到挤压无法呼吸,也难以逃离。但摄影师及工作人员没有理会他们的呼喊,并且把他们驱赶了下去。
不少现场视频显示,观众曾一同高声呼喊彻底停止演出,但是斯科特还在继续演唱。
据《休斯敦纪事报》报道,许多观众要求中止演出,市政当局宣布出现“大规模伤亡”后的37分钟里,演出还在继续。
演出的持续进行也影响了救援行动。
亲历者控诉有关方忽视安全
截至7日,至少两名休斯敦“天文世界”音乐节踩踏事件受伤者分别提起诉讼,指控斯科特等人及音乐节组织方轻忽观众安全。
网上流传的视频显示,5日下午开始入场时,数百名歌迷不顾安保人员阻拦,冲入一个贵宾安检口并绕过金属探测器。混乱中有人受伤,有人被拘留。据音乐节网站介绍,5日晚音乐节大约5万张门票均销售一空。踩踏事故发生后,原定6日举行的音乐节活动被取消。
图源:abc新闻网视频
据报道,得克萨斯州律师托马斯•亨利7日代表一名受伤观众起诉斯科特和当晚登台演出的另一名歌手德雷克,以及负责音乐会运营宣发的公司和提供演出场地的公司。亨利当天发表声明指责斯科特和德雷克在踩踏事件发生后,尽管看到救护车进入现场,却仍然继续演出。声明说,歌迷本应拥有安全环境来享受音乐会,但“他们的夜晚充斥恐惧、伤害和死亡”。
Texas attorney Thomas J. Henry filed a lawsuit Sunday against Travis Scott as well as Drake. The suit also names Live Nation and NRG Stadium. "Live musical performances are meant to inspire catharsis, not tragedy," said Henry in a press release. " Many of these concert-goers were looking forward to this event for months, and they deserved a safe environment in which to have fun and enjoy the evening. Instead, their night was one of fear, injury, and death."
此前,另一名在踩踏事故中受伤的观众已于6日向得克萨斯州哈里斯县法院递交诉状,指控斯科特及其演出公司未能以安全方式妥善策划和举办音乐会,并蓄意忽视安全风险,在某些情形下还积极鼓励和煽动危险行为。
A concertgoer who was injured during the festival is suing rapper and producer Travis Scott, who was the organizer of the Astroworld Festival, as well as entertainment company Live Nation, concert promoter Scoremore and others involved in the event, according to the lawsuit obtained by CNN. "Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner," the lawsuit continued. "Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.”
斯科特6日在社交媒体平台上说惨剧令人“崩溃”,自己在配合当局调查,愿为受害者及其家人提供帮助。
In a social media post on Saturday morning, Scott said he was "absolutely devastated" by what happened, would support the police as they investigate the incident, and wanted to help the community heal.
休斯敦警察局长芬纳在新闻发布会上说,现场观众有5万人之多,他担心突然叫停演出可能引发难以控制的骚乱。但《休斯敦纪事报》说,休斯敦地区因天气等原因突然取消露天活动的情形颇为常见,音乐节组织者和市政当局应有关于如何叫停演出的“计划和程序”。工作人员在必要时仅用几秒钟就能关闭舞台所有电源并通过音视频系统播放安全信息。但事发当晚,现场无人播放任何安全信息。
休斯敦市长特纳承诺将彻底调查这一事件,但调查可能持续数周或数月。
综合来源:新华网,CNN,路透社,观察者网,福克斯新闻网