Congress Committee Starts Investigation into Astroworld Organizer Live Nation to 'Prevent Future Tragedies'

The deadly Astroworld Festival will soon be investigated by members of Congress.

On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee announced that it will launch a bipartisan probe into what led to the deaths of 10 people at Astroworld last month after sending Michael Rapino, CEO of LiveNation, a letter informing him of the investigation. Live Nation has since said it will cooperate with said investigation.

"Concert attendees have provided firsthand accounts of being crushed within the crowd as it surged towards the stage," the letter read. "Live Nation Entertainment (Live Nation) was the concert promoter reportedly responsible for 'planning, staffing, putting up money, securing permits, finding vendors, communicating with local agencies,' for Astroworld Festival."

The letter referred to reports that "raise serious concerns" about whether the company "took adequate steps" to keep the crowd safe.

The letter also referred to reports that despite the fact that law enforcement began responding to a "mass casualty event" at 9:38 p.m., the concert didn't end until 10:10 p.m.

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"We are also concerned by reports about Live Nation's conduct following AstroworldFestival. Live Nation and its subsidiary reportedly have withheld pay until part-time employees who worked the festival have signed a revised employment contract, correcting the original version signed prior to the festival that was dated 2018," the letter read. "The revision makes it clear that the contract, which includes a broad provision releasing Live Nation from liability, applies to the 2021 festival."

The committee continued by stating that Astroworld Festival wasn't the first in a "long line of other tragic events," referring to the death of seven people at a concert in Indiana and the brain injury of a concert staffer from a forklift in 2013.

"We are deeply saddened by the deaths that occurred at Astroworld Festival and are committed to investigating what went wrong to inform possible reforms that could prevent future tragedies," the letter read, before asking Live Nation to respond to a set of questions by Jan. 7, 2022.

The Committee also requested that Live Nation attend a briefing on Jan. 12. The letter was signed by members Carolyn Maloney, Al Green, Bill Pascrell, Jr, James Comer and Kevin Brady. (Maloney is Chairwoman of the Committee and Congressman Comer is Ranking Member of the committee.)

In a statement to PEOPLE, the company said, "We are assisting local authorities in their investigation and will of course share information with the Committee as well."

"Safety is core to live events and Live Nation engages in detailed security planning in coordination with local stakeholders including law enforcement, fire and EMT professionals," the company said in the statement. "We are heartbroken by the events at Astroworld and our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of the victims."

Live Nation did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The new letter comes about a week after the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences confirmed that all 10 victims of the Festival had died of "compression asphyxia."

The victims of the tragedy were Danish Baig, 27, Rodolfo "Rudy" Peña, 23, Madison Dubiski, 23, Franco Patiño, 21, Jacob Jurinek, 20, John Hilgert, 14, Axel Acosta, 21, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Bharti Shahan, 22, and Ezra Blount, 9.