A young Brazilian fan of US singer Taylor Swift died in Rio de Janeiro after falling ill inside the sweltering stadium where the superstar’s concert was held, amid a record-breaking heatwave across large swathes of Brazil.
Key points:
- The 23-year-old became unwell and was attended to by medical staff
- She was first taken to a medical station on-site and later died in hospital
- The show took place on the same day that Rio recorded its highest-ever heat index reading
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, became unwell at the stadium, event organiser T4F SHOW3.SA wrote on Instagram.
It said she was promptly attended to by medical staff, and then taken to an on-site medical station, before being transferred to the Salgado Filho Hospital, where she died.
Some 60,000 fans had gathered for Swift’s concert at the stadium, which is located in a neighbourhood in the north of the city.
The show took place on the same day that Rio recorded its highest-ever heat index reading, which combines temperature and humidity, at 59.3 degrees Celsius.
Swift, who is in Brazil for six shows as part of The Eras Tour, expressed her sorrow and offered condolences to Ms Benevides’s family and friends.
“I’m not going to be able to speak about this from the stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it,” she wrote on Instagram.
“This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.”
Swift said Ms Benevides died “before my show” but Ms Benevides’ friends told local media that she became ill after the concert began.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino called for an investigation on Saturday after unconfirmed reports of a lack of drinking water for the audience in the stadium.
“The Consumer Protection Code requires that services be safe and suitable for HEALTH. It is unacceptable for people to suffer, faint, and even die due to a lack of access to water,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
During the concert, several fans fell ill, prompting Swift to interrupt the performance and request that the production team provide water for a group in need, according to videos from the show.
Reuters