Drake has finally broken his silence on the Astroworld tragedy in Houston which in which eight concertgoers died during a crowd surge during Travis Scott’s set on Friday.

The rapper, who also performed at the festival, said he had been trying to “wrap” his head around the devastating incident, which also saw hundreds of fans injured.

“I’ve spent the past few days trying to wrap my mind around this devastating tragedy,” Drake wrote.

“I hate resorting to this platform to express an emotion as delicate as grief but this is where I find myself. My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering.

“I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in any way I can, May God be with you all.”

It comes after Travis Scott released a statement following news of the deaths at the festival, which was attended by approximately 50,000 people.

“I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night,” the festival creator said, adding: “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.”

Love The Music Network?

Get the day’s top industry news, analysis, interviews, and jobs

Both Drake and Travis, along with venue and entertainment company Live Nation, are being sued over the Astroworld tragedy.

Following his initial statement, Travis also shared a series of videos to Instagram stories on Saturday night, acknowledging he was “devastated” by the events that unfurled at the event.

“I just wanna send prayers to the ones that was lost last night …” he said. “You know my fans really mean the world to me, and I always really wanna leave them with a positive experience.”

Eight people, ranging from 14 to 27 years old, died on Friday night during the crowd surge at Astroworld: Mirza Baig, Rodolfo Peña, Madison Dubiski, Franco Patino, Jacob Jurinke, John Hilgert, Axel Acosta Avila and Brianna Rodriguez. 300 people sustained injuries during the surge.

Out of the 17 that were transported to local hospitals, 13 remain hospitalised and four have been discharged.

Travis Scott has since pledged to cover the funeral costs for the eight fans who died.

For more on this topic, follow the Hip Hop Observer.

Check out the statement by Drake below:

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine