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Taylor Swift performed her first show in Brazil at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Engenhão in front of approximately 60,000 spectators
November 18, 2023, 12:48 03
Updated 1 hour ago
The death of a young woman at Taylor Swift’s concert in Rio de Janeiro this Friday (November 17th) caused shock among the American singer’s fans.
She was identified as 23yearold university student Ana Clara Benevides Machado, who studied psychology at the Federal University of Rondonópolis (UFR) in Mato Grosso.
Friends of the young woman said she loved Taylor Swift and was fulfilling “a dream” by traveling to see the artist’s show.
Ana Clara fell ill at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Engenhão, where Swift was performing a show in front of around 60,000 spectators.
It was the singer’s first appearance in Brazil as part of her successful “Eras Tour”.
“In the second song she just fainted. Then we got them out with the help of the security guards and ran to the base in the stadium. They took care of her and took her to the ambulance,” said a friend of Ana Clara to the G1 portal.
The cause of the young woman’s death has not yet been clarified. The Rio de Janeiro Municipal Health Department (SMS) reported that Ana Clara suffered a cardiac arrest, but the MedicoLegal Institute (IML) has yet to confirm what led to her death.
“The patient Ana Benevides arrived at the Municipal Hospital Salgado Filho at 8:50 p.m. in cardiac arrest. Resuscitation maneuvers were performed but unfortunately she did not survive. At present the cause of death cannot be stated, whatever the case may be, will be investigated by the IML,” said a statement from the Secretariat.
According to the fire department, the temperature inside the stadium reached 60°C, after which fans complained to the organizers that they were refusing entry to the public with water bottles. Glasses of water were sold locally for R$8.
Even those willing to purchase water complained on social media about the challenge of obtaining water due to lack of input, difficulty moving around the space and long queues.
Even Taylor Swift stopped the show to ask her fans for help after noticing people in the audience feeling sick. His team also distributed free water to the audience.
Firefighters said they treated about a thousand people who had fainted due to the heat.
In a statement, T4F (organizer of the event) said that Ana Clara was “immediately attended to by the team of firefighters and paramedics” and then taken to Salgado Filho Hospital (more on this below).
But what is cardiac arrest and how can heat cause it to occasionally lead to death?
Cardiovascular arrest occurs when the heart stops beating and the person stops breathing.
“In this situation, medical help must be called immediately and, while waiting for treatment, cardiac massage must be started so that the heart starts beating again,” says the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) on its website.
According to doctor Lucas Albanaz, general practitioner and medical clinic coordinator at Santa Lúcia Gama Hospital in Brasília, heatinduced dehydration can lead to cardiovascular arrest in young patients due to an “overlapping of factors.”
However, he points out that “young people are not among those most at risk of dehydration, which is more worrying for children and the elderly.”
Albanaz recalls that water intake (hydration) is important for our bodies, especially on days with high temperatures, such as those recorded last week due to the severe heat wave, especially in the southeast and centralwest regions of the country.
“Water is important for cooling our bodies and is fundamental to a number of chemical reactions that occur. The lack of it dehydration can trigger a compensatory response in our body, such as: B. an increase in heart rate and respiratory rate that cause the patient to lose weight. more water,” he tells BBC News Brasil.
“This creates a vicious circle that can lead to death,” he adds.
It is worth remembering that dehydration can occur even without excessive exposure to the sun (heat stroke), as would have happened to the young woman, since the show took place at night.
If this dehydration is mild, it can cause dry mouth, headaches, sleepiness, and fatigue.
However, in moderate and severe cases, the patient may experience very low blood pressure, excessive thirst, mental confusion, rapid breathing, difficulty maintaining neurological control, an abnormal increase in heart rate, and difficulty communicating.
Very severe dehydration can also lead to coma and even cardiac arrest.
According to experts, the most important thing is fluid intake, with two to three liters of water being consumed throughout the day.
Credit, Reproduction/Instagram
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Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23 years old, studied psychology at the Federal University of Rondonópolis (UFR) in Mato Grosso
Reactions
T4F (Time For Fun), organizer of Taylor Swift’s show, reported that as soon as Ana Clara felt unwell, she received “immediate care” from the team of firefighters and paramedics. First aid was administered at the medical station at Nilton Santos Stadium.
“Given the situation, the medical team decided to transfer him to Salgado Filho Hospital, where he unfortunately died after almost an hour of emergency care,” the company said on its official account on X (formerly Twitter).
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Fire officials said the company met all requirements related to fire and panic safety conditions.
“Medical incidents were the responsibility of the organization of the event,” the fire department said.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes called Ana Clara’s death “unacceptable” and said the causes that led to her death were still being investigated.
“The loss of the life of a young woman yesterday at Mass in Engenhão is unacceptable. “Obviously we are still trying to find out more details about the circumstances of what happened,” he said.
Paes also stipulated that measures should be taken to reduce the heat stress on the population.
“I have already appointed the municipality’s executive director of operations to demand action in the production of the show. I can now suggest the following measures for them to announce this morning: Advance entry to 1am and occupy the circulation ring.” “To address public distress new water distribution points; Increase in the number of brigade members Increase in ambulances,” Paes said.
This Saturday (November 18th), Rio de Janeiro broke heat records again: The Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology) thermometers at the Marambaia station in the western zone of the capital showed 41.9 °C at midday.
According to AlertaRio, a system operated by Rio City Hall, the temperature sensation also recorded a new high of 59.7 ° C, detected early in the morning at 8:10 a.m. in Guaratiba, in the same region.
With temperatures expected to continue rising throughout the day, it is possible that new highs will be reached this Saturday, according to Inmet.
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Justice Minister Flávio Dino explained that from this Saturday, personal water bottles made of suitable material will be allowed into the shows.
“From today (Saturday, November 18th), as determined by the Consumer Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice, WATER bottles for personal use made of appropriate material may be admitted into shows. And companies that host highheat shows must do so.” Provide free drinking water in easily accessible “drinking islands.” The measure takes effect immediately,” Dino wrote in his personal account on X.
“The regulation will be processed in a maximum of one hour. Details will be published here. The National Consumer Secretariat, in collaboration with states and municipalities, as well as with the involvement of the police, will take the appropriate measures to inspect, if necessary,” he added.
In a later post, Dino published the order issued by the Department of Justice “for mandatory and immediate compliance.”
“The team is heading to the location of today’s event for notification and posting on our website. The National Consumer Secretariat also informs the government of Rio and the city hall,” he explained.
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This Saturday afternoon, T4F announced that it would expand “the supply of free water in the queues and at all entrances and entrances to the stadium and inside”.
It also said that “entry into the stadium will be permitted with sealed glasses of water and sealed processed foods, with no limit on items per person.”
According to the company, “The ban on the importation of water bottles into the stadiums is a requirement of public authorities.”
“We do not sell drinks and food, that is the responsibility of the stadium management,” T4F added.
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“Devastated” and “Heartbroken”
On her Instagram after the show, Taylor Swift said she was “devastated” by her fan’s death.
The singer said she was “heartbroken” and added: “She was incredibly beautiful and so young.”
“I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but it’s with a broken heart that I say we lost a fan before my show tonight,” Swift wrote.
“I can’t tell you how devastated I am about this.”
Credit, Reproduction/Instagram
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In an Instagram story, Taylor Swift mourned the death of a fan
Swift said she couldn’t talk about the incident on stage because she was “overwhelmed with grief” every time she tried to talk about it.
“I want to say that I feel this loss deeply now and that my heartbreak goes out to his family and friends.”
She added that this was “the last thing” she thought would happen when she brought the tour to Brazil.
He also stated that he had little further information about Ana Clara’s death.
MP investigation
The Federal Ministry of Public Power (MPF) announced that it would investigate the responsibility of producer T4F for the death of Ana Clara.
“The Attorney General of Justice, Luciano Mattos, instructed the MPRJ Major Events Advisory to contact the company responsible for organizing the show to take urgent preventive measures,” the MPFRJ notice said.
“The criminal investigation into the death of the 23yearold girl is being monitored by one of the criminal investigation departments based on the incident log of the local police station. There is already information about it. “The body is an expert,” he adds.
“The deputy will have prosecutors on duty at the Nilton Santos Stadium at the weekend to monitor measures aimed at preventing new problems and ensuring the protection of the health of the public present,” he concludes.