Music Industry At SXSW React To Fatal Car Crash

Austin Police have confirmed two dead and five in critical condition after a car plowed through a crowd of people outside of The Mohawk on Red River St in Austin, Texas. The venue was hosting a SXSW event for House of Vans, with a lineup featuring Tyler, The Creator and The Black Angels.

Sounds Australia have reported that no Australians were injured in the incident, though according to theMusic.com.au, Austin Police have not yet confirmed the nationalities of the victims. The deceased were pronounced at the scene, with all seriously injured removed within 15 minutes.

“Show Isnt [sic] Happening, Something Sad Happened. I’m Bummed,” tweeted Tyler not long after news first broke of the incident. Austin locals The Black Angels took to Facebook to write, “Our hearts go out to all those involved in the tragedy that happened on red river tonight. Sigh… so sorry.”

Memphis producer Cities Aviv, who was part of the event’s indoor lineup, broke the news to fans, tweeting, “Show cancelled tonight. Dozens of people were hit by a drunk driver. My heart goes out to the victims and survivors,” adding, “Seriously appalled by humans’ indiscretion for others.”

TEENS, who were also slated for the indoor lineup, wrote via their social media channels, “So sorry for the horrible accident that happened [SXSW] tonight. We send our deepest condolences to those who were hurt and… To their families and friends. Take care of each other and stay safe.”

The owners of The Mohawk took to the venue’s official Twitter account to announce the cancellation of the House of Vans show and offer condolences, writing, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims from tonight’s tragedy. Make sure everyone you know is home safe tonight.”

Pigeons & Planes correspondent Confusion was on the scene, writing, “A car sped by, a few feet from where we were standing, hitting multiple people at high speed. It kept going and left a trail of bodies behind it. People rushed to the bodies, some motionless, and the next few minutes were chaos until ambulances and police officers showed up to move people away from the scene.”

“I don’t know how to report this… I watched a person perform CPR on a girl who was not moving, and I feel nauseous. It’s hard to imagine the rest of this SXSW week not being affected by what happened tonight, especially for those who were there to see it happen,” Confusion concluded.

Among the Australian artists attending this year’s South By Southwest to offer their thoughts and condolences are Jagwar Ma, who wrote via Facebook, “Just landed in Austin Texas for S X S W! Heard about the accident. Team Jagwar is safe but our thoughts go to all those who were hurt.”

“Is everyone ok at [SXSW] ????? :(” tweeted Sydney electronic duo What So Not, while Sydney artist Kirin J Callinan took to Twitter to offer, “Thoughts goin [sic] out to those killed or injured in tonight’s SXSW accident. Bad stuff. To clarify, both Tex & myself are OK. Stay safe folks.”

Triple J’s Zan Rowe tweeted from Austin, “I’m safe and well at SXSW – yes, was at Mohawk earlier but safe at hotel now. Awful news here in Austin,” while the AU review wrote, “Just heard about the car accident on Red River. So, so terrible. L, J and I are okay though, thanks for the messages!”

Watch: Aftermath Footage & Eyewitness Reports (WARNING – CONTAINS DISTRESSING IMAGES)

Courtesy of Socrates Villarreal

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