Image source, Getty Images

By Sam Cabral

BBC News

A grand jury in Texas has declined to charge rapper Travis Scott over a deadly crowd surge at the Astroworld music festival nearly two years ago.

The jury met Thursday as part of a criminal probe into Scott and others involved with the planning of the concert, which left 10 people dead.

Scott's lawyer Kent Schaffer said the decision comes as "a great relief" to his client.

The rapper still faces multiple civil suits stemming from the Houston show.

Scott, one of the biggest names in rap music, launched Astroworld with concert promoters Live Nation in 2018.

Thousands were injured at the 5 November 2021 event when panic broke out as the over-capacity crowd pressed towards the front of the stage during Scott's headline performance.

Ten people, ranging in age from nine to 27, were killed by compressive asphyxiation.

The rapper has said the tragedy left him "distraught" but that he was not aware of its extent until coming off stage.

Critics have accused him and fellow rapper Drake of continuing to perform despite accounts of "lifeless bodies being passed through the crowd in full view of the stage". Houston's fire chief had stated that Scott should have halted the show much earlier.