The young woman died as a result of a cardiac arrest in a hospital near the stadium (Instagram)
Heat exhaustion was the cause of death of a Brazilian fan who attended a concert by singer Taylor Swift in November, a coroner's report obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press showed.
Ana Clara Benevides, 23 years old, fainted during Swift's second song at the Nov. 17 concert in Rio de Janeiro, “Cruel Summer,” and died hours later in a hospital. Temperatures in the city that day were around 40 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit).
Swifties lined up for hours outside the show, with many accusing organizers of failing to provide enough water for the more than 60,000 concertgoers at Nilton Santos Stadium. They said they were also not allowed to bring their own water into the stadium.
According to the Rio Forensic Medical Institute report, Benevides suffered cardiopulmonary arrest due to heat exposure. He also stated that he had no pre-existing medical conditions or substance abuse that could have caused his death.
This is what the forensic expert who analyzed his body said in the document He suffered “severe lung damage and sudden death” due to the heat.
A fan of Taylor Swift pours water to cool down before the singer's concert outside the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, amid a heat wave. (AP Photo/Silvia Left)
T4F organizers did not immediately respond to an AP request for comment. CEO Serafim Abreu said in a video days after Benevides' death that the company would change its protocols for extreme heat events. He also said T4F would offer help to his family.
The Rio de Janeiro public prosecutor's office has opened a criminal investigation. Police said in a statement on Wednesday that after analyzing the forensic report, “representatives of the company that organized the event will be called to testify.”
Benevides' death shocked many in Brazil. She traveled by plane from the central-western region of the country for the first time to see her favorite singer.
In a statement posted on Instagram after the death, Swift said the case had left her “heartbroken.”
The incident occurred around 7:00 p.m. local time Benevides, He fainted in the stalls area Nilton Santos Stadium, located in a neighborhood in the northern part of Rio called Engenho de Distancia. At that moment the young woman was there Thiago Fernandesa friend who was a nurse and would have tried to help her.
Taylor Swift performs in Brazil. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
After security personnel responsible for the incident were notified, Fernandes stated that the victim underwent cardiorespiratory resuscitation (CPR), which lasted about 40 minutes. When it was believed her vital signs had stabilized, the young woman suffered a second cardiac arrest around 8pm when she was urgently taken to hospital. Salgado Filho Municipal Hospital.
The victim was born on July 22, 2000 in the city of Sonora, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Her personal life revealed that she was a psychology student at the Federal University of Rondonópolis (UFR). from the same district. In addition, she was an athlete and director of the university sports organization Valhalla, who expressed her condolences to Benevides' family.
(with information from AP)