Astroworld Victim Danish Baig, 27, Died ‘Trying to Save’ His Fiancée: ‘He Had Just Started His Life’
Mirza Danish Baig, one of the eight victims of the mass casualty incident that took place Friday night at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, died trying to save his fiancée Olivia Swingle.
“He managed to get it to where she was able to get out,” Danish’s brother Ammar Baig tells PEOPLE 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.”
Ammar, 29, describes the scene as recounted by their younger brother Basil Baig, who was also in attendance at Friday’s concert. “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.”
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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 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.”
Astroworld Victim Danish Baig, 27, Died ‘Trying to Save’ His Fiancée: ‘He Had Just Started His Life’
RELATED: Astroworld Festival Attendees Feared Dying amid Concert Chaos: ‘I Seriously Could Not Breathe’
“We just want prayers for him,” Ammar adds, while on his way to Danish’s funeral.
Ammar fondly remembers his late brother as a Dallas Cowboys fan, a gamer and a music lover, who would record in a studio he had in his house. An auto enthusiast, he planned to rent a Lamborghini for his 28th birthday, which was just days away.
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“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.”
Danish, the middle child of five siblings, moved with his family from Karachi, Pakistan, to Texas when he was a baby. Coming from a close-knit family, their mom taught him to make chicken tikka and beef boti, as he was known for “making a lot of good barbecue.”
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.
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Astroworld Victim Danish Baig, 27, Died ‘Trying to Save’ His Fiancée: ‘He Had Just Started His Life’
“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.”
Ammar blames poor organization and lack of security at the event for his brother’s death. “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? And this guy already has a bad track record of his concerts,” Ammar says of Scott, who previously pled guilty to disorderly conduct in February 2018 after he was arrested for allegedly inciting a riot at his concert in Arkansas the year before.
A source close to the musician previously told PEOPLE Scott was unaware of the magnitude of the situation. “The lights were shining in his eyes and he couldn’t see what was happening,” the source said. “He thought someone had just passed out, which happens during concerts.”
In videos posted to his Instagram Story on Saturday, Scott also said he prioritized the safety of his fans at the festival: “Any time I can make out anything that’s going on, I’d stop the show and help them get the help they need, you know? I could never imagine this situation.”
RELATED: Astroworld Victim Franco Patino, 21, Remembered by His Older Brother: ‘He Had Such a Big Heart’
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Travis Scott as Astroworld Festival
At least eight people died and more than 300 were treated for injuries following the chaos that unfolded at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Friday, when fans in the crowd of about 50,000 began to rush the stage.
Scott addressed the incident in a statement released Saturday morning, offering his cooperation to the Houston Police Department. “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival,” he wrote on Twitter.
Scott said later that evening on his Instagram Story that he’s “working right now to identify the families to assist them through this tough time,” adding: “My fans really mean the world to me, and I always want to leave them with a positive experience.”
