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14-year-old student was youngest to die at Astroworld Festival

9-year-old Ezra Blount is the latest to die from injuries sustained during Travis Scott's performance at Astroworld Festival on Nov. 5.

HOUSTON — The death toll has risen to 10 in the Astroworld Festival tragedy. We learned Sunday night that 9-year-old Ezra Blount died from injuries sustained during Travis Scott's concert on Nov. 5.

Ezra's death was announced by his family's attorney on Sunday, Nov. 14.

Below is what we know about the 10 people who died.

RELATED: 'That night was not supposed to go that way' | Astroworld Festival attendees recall tragedy, honor victims

Ezra Blount

We learned of the passing of 9-year-old Ezra Blount on Nov. 14. The family's attorney, Ben Crump, sent a statement announcing his death. Ezra had been on a ventilator and medically induced coma since he was severely injured at the concert.

Ezra's aunt had told us the child is an outgoing performer who loves to sing and dance. Travis Scott is his favorite rapper so his dad Treston took him to the concert. 

This is the statement from Crump's law firm: “The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son. This should not have been the outcome of taking their son to a concert, what should have been a joyful celebration. Ezra’s death is absolutely heartbreaking. We are committed to seeking answers and justice for the Blount family. But tonight we stand in solidarity with the family, in grief, and in prayer.” 

 

Credit: Provided

John Hilgert

Fourteen-year-old John Hilgert was a ninth-grade student from Memorial High School, according to Spring Branch ISD.

His family said he had a passion for baseball and golfing with his dad.

“John represented energy and caring love of being with his friends that has been so strongly expressed by so many since his passing. It’s impossible for our hearts to understand that we will never be with him again,” Dad Chris Hilgert said.

“The pain of our loss from our son John not making it home alive from an event such as this is intolerable. He was a beautiful young man who simply wanted to enjoy his first concert event with friends, whom he treasured spending time with more than anything else."

Credit: Associated Press

Brianna Rodriguez

Brianna Rodriguez, 16, is a Houston resident who attended Heights High School in HISD.

Brianna performed with the dance team and was a member of the band.

RELATED: Astroworld victim Brianna Rodriguez remembered as 'beautiful vibrant' 16-year-old with passion for dance

Credit: Provided

Jacob Jurinek

Jacob Jurinek, 20, died after attending the festival with Franco Patino, another one of the victims who died. The two were reportedly best friends, according to CBS Chicago.

Jurinek was a Naperville, Illinois, native and a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The Southern Illinoisan newspaper reported that Jurinek was studying advertising and journalism at the university and had designed posters and social media banners for athletics at SIU.

“We are brokenhearted to lose a member of the Saluki family, Jacob Jurinek, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane said in a statement. “Jacob was a creative, intelligent young man, with a promising career in journalism and advertising. As we mourn this loss in our community, we will keep Jacob’s family and friends in our thoughts.”

Credit: Provided

Franco Patino

The University of Dayton confirmed mechanical engineering technology student Franco Patino, 21, was among those killed during Astroworld Festival.

Patino was a senior from Naperville, Illinois. He minored in human movement biomechanics.

According to school officials, he was a member of the Alpha Psi Lambda, a Hispanic interest fraternity. Patino was active in the campus Greek Life, as well as the local MEC community. He was a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at UD, participated in the ETHOS program, and was currently working in an engineering coop program in Mason, Ohio.

Credit: Provided


Axel Acosta Avila

Axel Acosta Avila, 21, loved rap music and traveled from Washington to attend Astroworld Festival.

Axel's father, Edgar, described him as a great kid, an excellent student and someone who loved his family dearly, especially his grandparents.

"He was trying to study and go to school to be an engineer ... computer programmer ... because he wanted to provide for his family," Edgar said. "He was the first grandkid, he was the oldest one. He always took care of his cousins and nieces.”

Tony Buzbee is representing the Acosta family in a lawsuit against Scott and several of the festival organizers.

RELATED: Astroworld Festival victim's family says they found out about his death on the internet

Credit: Family

Bharti Shahani

Bharti Shahani, 22, died from injuries sustained at Astroworld Festival.

Shahani was a Texas A&M student who was taken to the ICU after being critically injured at the festival. She remained in ICU until she died on Nov. 11.

RELATED: Astroworld victim Bharti Shahani dies after being critically injured during crowd surge, family confirms

Shahani was an electronic systems engineering technology major and a Houston native, according to The Battalion, the A&M student newspaper.

Credit: Provided

Rudy Peña

Rudy Peña, a 23-year-old college student from Laredo, Texas, was killed in the crowd surge at Astroworld Festival, according to family members. They said he came to Houston for the concert with a group of friends.

"He was a people person," a friend said. "He introduced people to each other."

His older brother, Guadalupe Peña, set up a GoFundMe account to help his family with funeral expenses. Click here to donate.

Credit: Provided


Madison Dubiski

Madison Dubiski, 23, was a Cypress resident killed at Astroworld Festival.

Madison's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Their attorney's released the following statement:

"This tragedy was preventable. Madison’s family filed this lawsuit to make sure that the truth of what went so horrifically wrong at the Astroworld Festival is discovered. This lawsuit will make sure that those responsible are held fully accountable and that something like this never happens to another family," attorneys Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin said.

Credit: Provided

Danish Baig

Danish Baig, 27, was trying to protect his fiancé from being trampled when he was fatally injured during Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival concert, according to his brother, Basil Baig.

"People were trampled, walked, and stomped on. My brother tried to save my sister in law from these horrendous acts that were being done to her in the process he lost his life. My brother Danish Baig a beautiful soul whos [sic] smile would light up the room and put everyone before himself. Last night he showed his courageous act to save my sister in law/his fiance [sic] from those horrendous things that were being done. I am lost of words and in true trauma from this event. I was there and i wasnt [sic] able to save my brother," Basil Baig said in a Facebook post.

Basil Baig said his brother was laid to rest on Nov. 8 in Colleyville, Texas.

A medical examiner reported Danish's real name is "Mirza Baig," but his brother identified him as "Danish Baig."

Credit: Provided

RELATED: What happened at Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert? Crowd surge explained

RELATED: KHOU 11 Investigates: Was enough done to keep concertgoers safe at Astroworld Festival?

What happened during Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival?

Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said events started to escalate about 9:30 p.m. when a crowd surge took place during one of Travis Scott's performances.

People were trampled, some went unconscious, and at least a few went into cardiac arrest during the chaos. KHOU 11 talked to several witnesses who reported being pushed and shoved as the crowd of 50,000 festivalgoers rushed toward the stage.

It's been confirmed at least 300 concertgoers were treated on the scene, and 25 people were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Eight people died that night.

Two others later died from injuries sustained during Scott's show.

RELATED: 9-year-old Ezra Blount is fighting for his life after being trampled at Astroworld Festival, family says

Doctors said being dehydrated or having an underlying condition, like asthma, can make the situation even more dangerous. On top of that, there were reports of people being trampled at the festival.

“Cardiac arrest simply means the heart stopping,” said Dr. George Williams, a critical care anesthesiologist with UTHealth Houston and LBJ Hospital. “In a situation like that, when the lungs are squeezed like they are in a crowd situation, oxygen levels drop very quickly and because of that, the person loses consciousness and their heart is not able to function like it should.”

For now, the individual causes of death for each victim have not been released.

Multiple agencies, including Houston Police Department and the FBI, have opened investigations into the cause of the crowd surge and whether it could have been prevented.

There were reports that a security guard had possibly been injected with a substance before going unconscious, but Houston Police Chief Troy Finner confirmed that those claims were false.

RELATED: UPDATE: Houston police chief said his earlier report that security guard was injected with needle was incorrect

RELATED: 'Drowning in people' | ICU nurse describes passing out in crowd surge at Astroworld Festival, then helping others

RELATED: Social media shows how fans tried to get help for Astroworld Festival victims

Click here for full coverage of the Astroworld Festival tragedy.

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