The incident, considered one of the deadliest in the U.S., occurred after crowds rushed the stage at a Travis Scott concert.
A crowd surging incident at Travis Scott's Astroworld music festival on November 5, 2021, led to the death of eight people, out of which was a 27-year-old Mirza Danish Baig. According to PEOPLE, he died trying to save the life of his fiancée Olivia Swingle.
The incident, considered one of the deadliest in the U.S., occurred after crowds rushed the stage at a Travis Scott concert, adds USA Today. Danish and Olivia, who both worked at AT&T, where he was a district manager, traveled from Dallas to Houston after months of planning to see Scott, 30, and other artists in concert.
"He managed to get it to where she was able to get out," Danish's brother Ammar Baig said, of the 27-year-old, who was separated from Olivia, 25, amid the chaos. "Somehow, the ambulance managed to get to her, and then, by the time they got to my brother, they tried resuscitating him. And they said that before they got to the hospital, he couldn't make it."
Along with Danish, his younger brother Basil also attended the concert, who told Ammar, 29, what exactly happened the night they lost their brother. "People started hitting them, people started hitting his fiancée, started [doing] a lot of things to her. She's bruised up, and he was trying to save her," he says, adding: "And no one there was there to help him."
It's devastating to lose a brother, and it's even more heartbreaking, knowing that he was a good person. "He would always take care of his fiancée. He would always get her whatever she wants. They would always have goals, plans, all these things he had in his mind for them," Ammar says of the couple. "He just started his life."
A traditional Muslim funeral was held for Danish on November 7, 2021. "We just want prayers for him," Ammar added, while on his way to the funeral. Danish was the middle one of five siblings. He and his family moved to Texas from Karachi when he was a baby.
According to Ammar, his younger brother was a Dallas Cowboys fan, a gamer, and a music lover, who would record in a studio he had in his house. Also an auto enthusiast, Danish had plans to rent a Lamborghini for his 28th birthday which wasn't too far away. "He had a huge heart. He would take care of everybody," Ammar says. "He was basically the center that would bring everyone together. He was the funny one, the goofy one, the outgoing one. Our brothers and sisters have our own personalities, but he was the glue to it all."
Above all, Danish was someone who cared for others, especially his parents. "He was going to buy a house for my dad and my mom at the end of this month, and he's not going to be there to get the house for them," Ammar says through tears. "I'm the oldest brother, but he would do all the things that I should be doing," he continues. "And he would be there for them any time they needed it."
Now, Ammar is furious about what's happened, saying that this was a completely avoidable situation. "What happened to my brother is not right and it's unjust and we're going to find justice for him," he says."How was someone even allowed to have a 50,000 people concert with everything going on in the world?"
Meanwhile, Swindle left a heartbreaking note on Facebook, honoring the love of her life. "I am in Hell. I lost the love of my life, & I have so much I want to say but I cannot put it into words at this time," she wrote.
"My baby, my love gave his life to save mine & I will spend the rest of my life making sure he gets the justice he deserves. I would not be here today if it was not for him, he is a hero and the world needs to know his story. This was an absolute tragedy & I do not know how to survive."
References:
https://people.com/music/astroworld-festival-victim-danish-baig-died-saving-his-fiancee/
https://www.facebook.com/olivia.swingle
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan
