[ad_1]
A Brazilian fan who attended a Taylor Swift concert in November died from heat exhaustion, a medical examiner’s report said. Associated Press Wednesday’s show.
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, collapsed during Swift’s second song “Cruel Summer” during her Nov. 17 concert in Rio de Janeiro and was hospitalized hours later at a local hospital passed away. The temperature in the city that day was about 40 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit).
Fans queued for hours before the show, with many accusing organizers of failing to provide adequate water for the more than 60,000 people attending the concert at Nilton Santos Stadium. They said they couldn’t bring their own water into the stadium.
A report from Rio de Janeiro’s Institute of Forensic Medicine said Benevides suffered cardiorespiratory arrest due to heat exposure. It also said she did not have any existing medical conditions or substance abuse that could have contributed to her death.
Forensic experts who analyzed her body said in the document that she suffered “severe lung damage and died suddenly” due to the heat.
A friend of Benevides, who also attended the concert, told local media in November that they were given water while waiting to enter the stadium.
Organizers T4F said in a statement that the company “followed best practices” and complied with “every request from the authorities” and “distributed thousands of bottles of water” to fans. TF4 also denied allowing people to bring their own water to the concert.
TF4 also said that Benevides was “immediately attended to by members of the rescue team and transported to the hospital by ICU ambulance.”
“In our 40-year history, this company has never had a tragedy like Benevides’ death due to extreme heat,” T4F said.
The Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s office has launched a criminal investigation. Rio police said in a statement on Wednesday that after analyzing forensic reports, “representatives of the company that organized the event will be called to testify.”
Benivedes’ death shocked many in Brazil. She took a plane from central and western China to meet her favorite singer for the first time.
Swift posted a statement on Instagram after her death, saying the case had left her “heartbroken.”
Benivedez’s father, José Weiny Machado, told news website G1 that he “never suspected heat as a cause of death.”
[ad_2]
