A teenage Brazilian fan of American singer Taylor Swift died on Friday night in Rio de Janeiro after becoming ill inside the superstar’s scorching concert venue, prompting the authorities to mandate that drinking water be given and easily available at shows.
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, fell ill at the Nilton Santos stadium, according to event organiser T4F (SHOW3.SA) on Instagram. According to the report, she was swiftly attended to by medical personnel and then moved to the Salgado Filho Hospital, where she died.
Rio state health service said she arrived at hospital with her heart stopped. Her cause of death is unknown, and will be investigated.
Swift’s sold-out show at the stadium, which is located far from Rio’s breezy picture-postcard beaches in a hotter northern neighbourhood, drew 60,000 attendees.
Rio reported its highest ever reading of the so-called heat index, which combines temperature and humidity, on the same day, at 59.3 degrees Celsius (138.74 degrees Fahrenheit).
Heatwaves have gripped multiple Brazilian states, with temperatures exceeding historical averages since July, according to the National Institute of Meteorology, which predicts that 2023 will be the hottest year since the 1960s.
Several people were ill during the concert, leading Swift to halt her performance and request that the production team give them with water, according to videos.