Conspiracy Theories Are Spreading in the Wake of the Astroworld Tragedy

The tragedy that occurred at the Astroworld Festival in Texas has yet to be fully explained, and that lack of information has led to some pretty wild speculation. Within minutes of the Festival beginning, Travis Scott took the stage to perform and a massive crowd surge led to injuries and deaths as people moved toward the stage. This surge left eight people dead, and many wondering why Travis continued performing for so long after injuries were first reported.

Videos from attendees that have been posted online suggest that Travis did not stop performing even as people appeared to be passing out, and a staff of medical professionals was dispatched to revive them. If you look at the full livestream of the performance, however, it's clear that Travis did stop performing multiple times to call on audience members to help those that had passed out.

These viral videos that show Travis continuing to perform, however, have led some to the wild belief that the deaths at the concert were intentional. The conspiracy theory suggests that Travis was committing a blood sacrifice on members of his audiences, and the notion has picked up steam online as users continue to share their own theories and speculation.

The idea that Travis committed a blood sacrifice picked up steam in part because much of the rapper's promotional material is centered on demonic images. At the festival, Travis performed on a stage that was designed to look like the gates of Hell, and festival-goers had to walk through a gate that was styled to look like Travis's mouth, imitating the painting "Christ in Limbo" which shows the gates of Hell.

"Travis Scott sold his soul to the devil. Astro World was a BLOOD SACRIFICE. He took eight innocent lives to pledge his allegiance to the occult elite. 'He didn't do it on purpose!' SO WHY IS HE SINGING AS THEY CARRY OFF A DEAD BODY THEN?!?" one user wrote on Twitter.

Others pointed out that the festival's official slogan, "We'll see you on the other side," aged very poorly in light of the tragedy.

"Travis Scott did a sacrifice. Look at the symbolism of the event. 'See you on the other side' is the tagline. People walking into his mouth and through a doorway into another world on promo poster for 'Astroworld.' Look at the depravity of the album art cover for Astroworld," another person wrote.

Although it may not be mainstream, there are plenty who believe that these deaths were all part of the rapper's plan.

"My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as it continues to look into the tragic loss of life," Travis tweeted in the wake of the accident.

"I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love you all."