Taylor Swift
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, died hours after the singer's show on November 17 – a day when temperatures reached 40°C
Associated Press
Thu Dec 28, 2023 00:11 GMT
Heat exhaustion caused the death of a Brazilian fan who attended a Taylor Swift concert in November, according to a forensic report obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, fainted during Swift's second song at the Rio de Janeiro show on November 17 and died hours later at a local hospital. Temperatures in the city that day were around 40°C (105°F).
Fans lined up for hours outside the show, with many accusing organizers of failing to provide enough water for the more than 60,000 people attending the concert at Nilton Santos Stadium. They said they were not allowed to bring their own water into the stadium.
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The report from the Rio Forensic Medical Institute said Benevides' exposure to heat caused him to go into cardiac arrest. It also said she had no pre-existing conditions or substance abuse that could have led to her death.
The forensic expert who analyzed her body said she suffered “severe impairment of her lungs and sudden death” due to the heat.
One of Benevides' friends, who also attended the concert, told local media in November that they were given water while waiting to enter the stadium.
The show's organizer, T4F, said the company “followed best practices,” “complied with every request from authorities” and distributed “thousands of bottles of water” to fans. TF4 also disputed the ban on bringing their own water into the stadium.
TF4 said Benevides was “immediately treated by members of a rescue team and taken (to hospital) in an intensive care unit ambulance.”
“In our 40 years in business, this company has never had a tragic incident,” T4F said.
Rio prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation. Rio police said 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 had taken her first flight from the mid-west region of the country to see her favorite singer.
In a statement posted on Instagram after the death, Swift said the case had left her “heartbroken.”
Benevides' father, Jose Weiny Machado, told news site G1 that he “never doubted that the cause of death was the heat.”
His lawyer, João Paulo Sales Delmondes, said in a video shared with journalists that the forensic report “confirms the failures of the organization of the event.”
“Ana Clara's family wants to wait until the investigation is completed to investigate what will happen, to punish those responsible for the criminal case and to take the necessary legal action to claim compensation,” he said.