Heat death in Brazil
Death at Taylor Swift concert: Rio organizer apologizes
Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro: Fans wait for the doors to open at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium amid a heat wave. After the death of a fan at the concert, the organizer admitted that they could have taken more measures because of the heat.
© Silvia Izquierdo / DPA
Because of the intense heat in Brazil, a fan of Taylor Swift collapsed at the singer’s concert in Rio de Janeiro and died a short time later. Now the concert organizer has apologized.
After the death of a young woman at a concert by US pop star Taylor Swift in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the concert organizer there has apologized. The organizer of the Swift concerts in Brazil is being criticized because, according to fans at the singer’s first concert, he banned the 60,000 visitors from taking water into the stadium – despite temperatures of up to 59 degrees.
A 23-year-old was killed. “We recognize that in addition to all that we have done, we could have taken alternative measures,” Time For Fun, the promoter of the sell-out concert, said Thursday. Shade providers could have been set up in outdoor areas or the concerts could have been relocated to a time with less high temperatures.
“I would like to apologize to all those who did not have the best possible experience,” said Time For Fun boss Serafim Abreu in a video published on online networks. He expressed his “deepest condolences” to the relatives of the deceased 23-year-old.
Concerts in extreme heat: Organizers warn of new reality
According to the concert organizer, the young woman was quickly treated on site after feeling unwell and was taken to hospital an hour later. The Brazilian newspaper “O Globo” reported that a preliminary autopsy showed that the 23-year-old had suffered a pulmonary hemorrhage and three heart attacks.
Swift said she was “devastated” after the death. She postponed another concert in Brazil planned for Saturday until Monday. Their “Eras Tour” is scheduled to continue with concerts in the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Time For Fun boss Abreu said climate change would cause heat waves to become more frequent. “The entire concert industry needs to rethink how it operates in the face of this new reality,” he warned.