Nine people were hospitalized on Saturday night when a crowd of fans rushed the stage during a music festival in Arizona.
The latest on melee at Summer Ends concert in Tempe: Up to 12 hurt. 9 taken to hospitals. http://t.co/cx2c77ddCd
The incident occurred when fans started to push one another to get up closer to the stage, Deens Shepard, a Tempe fire marshal, told BuzzFeed News
Some people fell and tripped in the confusion, he added.
One person suffered a serious injury in the melee, Shepard said, but he said he could not confirm what that injury was.
The eight others suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
One teen told the Arizona Republic that the pushing and shoving near the front of the stage quickly became dangerous.
"I got elbows to the face, elbows to the head. People all over are passing out," said Lindsey Arnold said. "I saw black dots. I was scared."
The nine people who were hospitalized were only a few of 300 people who suffered injuries on Saturday at the festival, Shepard said.
The majority of the injuries were related to heat – as temperatures were in the 100s – and drug or alcohol-related.
"The major issue yesterday was the high temperatures," he said.
A spokesman for the event's organizer, Lucky Man Concerts, told the Arizona Republic the "excitement" of fans caused a "brief delay" in the show.
"Lucky Man Concerts coordinated the efforts of local officials to insure public safety and the show continued on," Tom LaPenna said. He didn't return a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.
The four-day festival kicked off on Thursday and ends on Sunday.
It has featured artists like J. Cole, Rebelution, and Big Sean. Kanye West is scheduled to perform on Sunday.
Shepard said that authorities plan to have more teams at the festival on Sunday to prepare for possible incidents.
He added that the concert's organizers have been working with officials to ensure everyone is safe.