Bharti Shahani.Photo: gofundme
Bharti Shahani, the 22-year-old Texas A&M University senior who suffered critical injuries in theAstroworld Festival crowd surge, has died. Her death marks the ninth from the festival over the weekend.
News of Bharti’s death comes afterABC 13 Houstonreported on Tuesday that she was on a ventilator and declared brain dead.
During apress conferenceon Thursday, Bharti’s family spoke out about her. When her mother Karishma Shahani walked up to speak, she burst into tears and said, “I don’t know what to say.”
For more on the tragedy at Astroworld, listen below toour daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day.
“She was very full of life, she enjoyed the smallest things,” Bharti’s sister Namrata Shahani added. “She was always there for me, the last thing she said to me was, ‘Are you okay?'”
The family also noted that she would be donating her organs. “She loved helping others,” her cousin Mohit Bellani said.
According to ABC 13 Houston, Bharti attended the concert with her sister and Bellani, but they lost each other when the crowd surged. Namrata and Bellani both lost their cell phones and couldn’t find Bharti.
“Once we let go of her hand, the next time we saw her, we were in the ER,” Namrata said.
While being taken in an ambulance to Houston Methodist Hospital, Bharti was given CPR. Her family tells the outlet she had suffered multiple heart attacks.
Several young people are among the victims of the Astroworldtragedy, including 9-year-old Ezra Blount who is in amedically-induced comaafter falling from his dad’s shoulders and being trampled.
Jacob Jurinek, 21,John Hilgert,14,Brianna Rodriguez, 16,Franco Patiño, 21, Axel Acosta, 21,Rudy Peña, 23, Madison Dubiski, 23,Danish Baig, 27, and now Bharti have been identified as those who died Friday when fans in the crowd of about 50,000 began to rush the stage whereTravis Scottwas performing.
During the conference, Bellani recounted the night, calling it a “nightmare,” an “atrocity” and “an act of pure brutality.”
“Pray for them, for us … pray for everyone who experienced that hellish experience,” he said.
Houston Police Cihef Troy Finner has said aninvestigation is ongoing.
source: people.com
