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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Claire Gilbody-Dickerson & Ryan Fahey

Student, 22, has no brain activity following Astroworld festival crush injury

A 22-year-old woman attending the tragic Astroworld festival has shown no brain activity since being injured in the catastrophic event.

Bharti Shahani is currently in critical condition and on a ventilator after being caught in the stampede in Texas on Friday, during which her cousin said they had to "fight to come up to the top and breathe".

Eight people aged between 14 and 27 were tragically killed and hundreds injured during the festival in NRG Park in Houston, launched by rapper Travis Scott.

Shahani had attended the 50,000-strong event with her sister Namrata Shahani and her cousin Mohit Bellani, but they were separated as the crowds swelled.

Bharti Shahani, 22, is on a ventilator in critical condition after being caught in a stampede at the tragic Astroworld festival in Texas on Friday (GoFundMe)

Bellani told ABC13 : "Once one person fell, people started toppling like dominos. It was like a sinkhole. People were falling on top of each other.

"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."

Shahani was given PCR by paramedics while they took her to Houston Methodist Hospital, the news outlet reports.

Eight people died, some just teenagers, during the stampede (FilmMagic)

The next time her sister and cousin saw her was when she was in A&E.

"They took us to her room, and she was bleeding and on a ventilator. Me and my wife were too shocked. We can't even stand in there," her father, Sunny Shahani, said.

Among those killed in the crowd control disaster was Danish Baig, 27 and who was crushed while trying to save a relative during the stampede.

His death was confirmed by his brother, Basil, who shared a photograph of him via Facebook and branded him a “beautiful soul” and commended him for his “courageous act”.

The youngest victim has been named as 14-year-old John Hilgert.

The Astroworld festival in Houston was initially launched by rapper Travis Scott (WireImage,)

The teenager was described as a "loveable" baseball fanatic who was "one of the nicest human beings.

A 23-year-old woman was another fatal victim of the crush. Madison Dubiski's younger brother TY was trying to pull her to safety when she died and her body was dragged back into the crowd.

Another victim identified after the incident was a Southern Illinois University in Carbondale college junior, Jacob Jurinek.

Travis Scott has pledged to pay for the funeral costs of those who tragically died (SIPA USA/PA Images)

A school chancellor described him as a "creative, intelligent young man, with a promising career in journalism and advertising".

University of Dayton student Franco Patino has also been confirmed as another of the victims – with the university releasing a statement about the 21-year-old’s death.

21-year-old Axel Acosta, a Washington college student, also died and was described by the institution as 'a young man with a vibrant future.'

Meanwhile, People confirmed that 16-year-old dancer Brianna Rodriguez was another of the eight killed in the tragedy.

Madison Dubiski was the last victim to be publicly identified (Facebook)

And 23-year-old Rodolfo 'Rudy' Peña was confirmed as another one of the victims by the Laredo Morning Times.

While the official cause of the tragedy remains under investigation, witnesses reported a "mob mentality" may have led to a crowd surge and a crush.

Security protocol at the concert is also being investigated, with the city's mayor Sylvester Turner saying it was too early to state whether it was adequate.

John Hilgert, 14, was the youngest victim (MarucciiEliteTX/Facebook)
Jacob Jurinek, 20, was also killed (Linkedin)

He said: "We had more security over there than we had at the World Series games."

There were reportedly 505 event security staff members, with 91 armed private security and 76 officers from the Houston Police Department.

Travis, meanwhile, has pledged to pay for the funeral costs of those he died in the tragedy.

He will also partner with BetterHelp to provide free mental health services to all those affected by the tragedy.

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