Bharti Shahani, a Texas A&M student who suffered injuries at Astroworld Festival, has died. She was 22 years old.
BREAKING: Bharti Shahani has died following a deadly crowd surge at Astroworld
A 22-year-old college student has been declared brain dead after sustaining severe injuries during the Astroworld crowd surge over the weekend.
Shahni’s family and their lawyer confirmed her death at a press conference today, Nov. 11.
“She was like an angel to us,” Shahani’s father, Bhagu “Sunny” Shahani, said during the press conference. “She was the head of the family, she was a very nice girl. Always calm, always listened. She had a bright future. Only thing I’ll request, to the Houstonians, to please, please make sure that she gets justice. And I don’t want somebody else’s daughter to go like this.”
As Houston’s ABC affiliate reported Tuesday, Nov. 9, Shahani showed no signs of brain activity and had been placed on a ventilator after being caught in the stampede. She reportedly suffered multiple heart attacks, with her cousin, Mohit Bellani saying at the time, “I think she lost oxygen for 10 minutes one time and seven minutes at another time. So her brain stem was swollen to like 90 percent almost.”
Shahani’s family spoke publicly after announcing her death.
See original story below.
Bharti Shahani, attended the festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, with her sister and cousin before getting separated in the crowd.
“Once one person fell, people started toppling like dominos. It was like a sinkhole. People were falling on top of each other,” Bharti’s cousin Mohit Bellani told ABC13. “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.”
After getting out of the stampede, both Bellani and Bharti’s sister, Namrata Shahani, lost their cellphones and couldn’t find Bharti.
“Once we let go of her hand, the next time we saw her, we were in the ER,” Namrata told ABC13 reporter.
Bharti was given CPR in an ambulance by first responders and taken to Houston Methodist Hospital. She has been in critical condition and on a ventilator since the night of the concert.
Bharti’s parents searched for her at NRG Park and several Houston area hospitals before finding her.
“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,” Bharti’s father, Sunny Shahani, told ABC13 reporter.
After doctors told the family she had no brain activity, Bharti’s family said they were still determining what to do next.
Bharti’s sister set up a GoFundMe page for donations to cover the family’s mounting expenses.
“Bharti is the light of our lives and we are all praying for her full and speedy recovery,” Namrata wrote.
Comments