The death toll of the Astroworld Fest in Houston has officially reached nine. A 22-year-old college student who was among the throngs of fans crushed during the festival has passed away, according to the family’s attorney, James Lassiter.

Bharti Shahani was set to graduate from Texas A&M University in the spring.

Bharti Shahani (Credit: GoFundMe)

Bharti attended the concert with her sister Namrata, who told Associated Press that her sister’s final words were “Are you OK?” The two sisters attended the concert with their cousin.

Per AP, a criminal investigation is underway, but there has been no specific target identified.

The Houston Chronicle reports that leaked police radio audio gave more insight into the chaos during the concert. One officer said that the main stage had been compromised and asked a police helicopter to take a look.

An official on the radio said there wasn’t much they could do and that only one section of the concert area was compromised.

“Stand by for now. We’ll have to wait, but the concert management will let us know,” the officer said, per the Chronicle.

Officers later said that they could see people scaling the gate and trying to escape certain areas. Police are still working to solidify timelines.

Travis Scott at Game Six of the World Series between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves on Nov. 2, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Scott has been under extensive scrutiny since the Astroworld Fest he created and produced in his Houston, Texas, hometown turned deadly.  

A new report from TMZ notes that the rap star left the festival and went to Dave & Buster’s for an afterparty. The concert was stopped 30 minutes before its scheduled end but the report asserts that Scott was still unaware that there had been fatalities at the show.

“Travis didn’t know the severity of the situation when he arrived at the party,” a source told the site. “As far as timing, this remains consistent with the fact that no one, including the police, had publicly confirmed the gravity of the events that had taken place.”

The afterparty was reportedly hosted by Drake, who had just performed their hit single, “Sicko Mode,” with Scott at the Astroworld Fest.

TMZ claims NRG Park had a $26M insurance policy on the event. 

Biba Adams contributed to this report.

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