iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The Indian American family is fervently praying for a miraculous recovery of their 22-year-old daughter who was grievously injured in the concert surge while attending rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld 2021 festival held Friday, Nov. 5 at NGR Park in Houston, Texas.
The unfortunate event occurred when over 50,000 attendees turned rowdy that left 8 dead and hundreds injured.
Among the injured was Indian-American Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old, Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University student, who was critically wounded and at present is in ICU. She has been declared brain dead.
According to local media, abc13, Bharti was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital by ambulance. Paramedics gave her CPR on the way there. She has suffered multiple cardiac arrests.
Bharti had gone to the concert with her sister, Namrata and cousin Mohit Bellani but was separated in the rush that started shortly after Scott took the stage at 9 pm.
Her sister Namrata and cousin Bellani had both lost their cell phones in the melee. They couldn’t locate Bharti.
“Once one person fell, people started toppling like dominos. People were falling on top of each other,” Bellani said. “There were layers of bodies on the ground. We were fighting to come up to the top and breathe to stay alive,” abc13 quoted Mohit Bellani.
“I think she lost oxygen for 10 minutes one time and seven minutes at another time,” Bellani explained. “So her brain stem was swollen to almost 90 percent,” Mohit was quoted.
She was a beautiful, intelligent young woman set to graduate this year. Her life was only beginning, pray for it not to end. She was like a sister to me. Gofundme link below.
Bharti, a student of electronics systems engineering, is set to graduate this spring. She has already secured a summer internship, and her father said. She planned on taking over the family business after graduating, abc13 quoted her father.
“The doctors say the chances of survival are nothing. We keep saying we’ll pray,” Sunny, Bharti’s father said and added, “I request all of Houston to pray for her. Maybe the prayers might work as a miracle for her.”
Bharti’s sister Namrata has set up “Bharti Shahani’s Astroworld Recovery Fund” a fundraiser page on Gofundme.com.
“We are raising funds to help cover mounting expenses during this strenuous time. Bharti is the light of our lives and we are all praying for her full and speedy recovery. We greatly appreciate any donations and ask that everyone keep Bharti and our family in their prayers during this difficult time,” Namrata wrote.
Mohit on Facebook posted: “She was a beautiful, intelligent young woman set to graduate this year. Her life was only beginning, pray for it not to end. She was like a sister to me. Gofundme link below.”
[Photo courtesy: Gofundme.com]
