At least 8 dead and many injured at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, officials say

At least eight people are dead and many others were injured Friday night at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, officials said.

"We had scores of individuals that were injured," Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña during a news conference early Saturday morning.

The fire chief described what unfolded as a "mass casualty" incident, saying it was triggered when the crowd began "to compress toward the front of the stage" around 9:00-9:15 p.m. local time.

That sparked panic, and it started causing some injuries, he said.

"People began to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic," Peña said.

The cause of deaths is pending the medical examiner's determination, he said.

Peña said 17 patients were transported to local hospitals, 11 of whom were in cardiac arrest. He confirmed that one patient was 10 years old.

More than 300 people were treated at the field hospital set up near the festival, Peña said.

The concert drew about 50,000 attendees, he said.

Those who attended the concert shared on social media the chaos that ensued. Medical personnel were so overwhelmed with the injuries that some audience members attempted to administer CPR.

The concert's livestream showed Travis Scott pause his performance to look on in confusion as an ambulance with lights flashing pulled into the venue.

Astroworld organizers did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment early Saturday morning.

Organized by Scott, the third annual festival was scheduled to run from Friday through Saturday, according to the event's website.

However, officials said the planned second night would be canceled. The festival was slated to feature artists including SZA, Bad Bunny and 21 Savage.

In 2019, three people were trampled and hospitalized as thousands rushed to get into the festival in Scott's hometown.