Taylor Swift’s Rio tour marred by deaths, muggings and a dangerous heat wave - newsflash.me

RIO DE JANEIRO — The deaths of 2 people, muggings and a vulnerable power activity near legions of Taylor Swift’s Brazilian fans angry and disappointed successful the three-day Rio de Janeiro leg of nan popular superstar’s Eras Tour, which concluded Monday night.

Gabriel Mongenot Santana Milhomem Santos, 25, a instrumentality who had traveled from nan country’s center-west region to spot Swift, was stabbed to decease connected a Copacabana formation astir 3 a.m. Monday, Rio’s constabulary said successful a statement.

It was nan 2nd decease of a Swift instrumentality successful 4 days. On Friday, 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado fell sick during nan singer’s first show successful nan city, and died later that evening astatine a hospital.

Fans besides reported fainting from extreme heat, being mugged aliases getting caught up successful a constabulary raid.

Rio’s Municipal Health Department said Benevides, who, according to a friend, passed retired during Swift’s 2nd song, “Cruel Summer,” knowledgeable cardiorespiratory arrest, but nan nonstop origin of her decease is not yet known. Rio’s Forensic Medical Institute examined nan assemblage Saturday and said further laboratory tests had to beryllium conducted, nan online news tract G1 reported.

In a connection posted connected Instagram, Swift said Benevides’ decease near her pinch a “shattered heart.”

Before nan show Friday, fans lined up for hours extracurricular nan Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium wherever temperatures soared to 41 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit), pinch a power scale of astir 59 C (138 F). Inside nan stadium, concertgoers complained of unbearable power and immoderate said they had trouble getting entree to water.

Taylor Swift fans hold for nan doors of Nilton Santos Olympic stadium to unfastened for her Eras Tour performance amid a power activity successful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil connected Saturday.Silvia Izquierdo / AP

“I didn’t ideate that my dream could move into a nightmare,” said instrumentality Kléssia Menezes, who told R7 TV that she had gotten stuck pinch hundreds of different group connected 1 of nan ramps to a VIP area Saturday arsenic information officers blocked nan entrance.

Once information fto them through, she said, group started moving and she fell connected a basking metallic level that burned her limb and back.

“They took maine to nan expert ... and I saw that I wasn’t nan only personification to person fallen successful this chaos,” she said. “Many group fell and burned themselves.”

Ultimately, that night’s show was postponed, aft tens of thousands of fans had spent hours lining up successful nan heat. Swift announced connected Instagram that it was basal “due to nan utmost temperatures successful Rio.”

A instrumentality who identified herself arsenic Julia Alvarenga said she was upset that Swift didn’t determine to cancel earlier.

“My friend, tin you spot really overmuch I’m sweating, really each nan pores successful my assemblage are dilated from nan sweat?” Alvarenga asked, visibly angry, successful a video posted connected X, formerly known arsenic Twitter. She past pointed to her waist, highlighting nan utmost measures she had taken to be a performance for which she knew she would guidelines successful statement for hours. “I’m wearing a diaper, a geriatric diaper,” she says, urging nan creator to appear. “Come connected stage, I want to spot you!”

The postponement was followed by chaos extracurricular nan stadium. Under a ray rain, a wide of concertgoers near nan area, which is adjacent to 1 of Rio’s working-class neighborhoods, known arsenic favelas.

Videos shared connected societal media showed groups of pickpockets robbing fans of their belongings, scenes not truthful different to Rio residents, but acold from nan postcards galore visitors person seen of nan “cidade maravilhosa.”

Many took refuge wrong a Burger King, ducking for screen nether tables and down nan antagonistic successful nan room area. Heavily equipped constabulary raided nan accelerated nutrient restaurant’s basement arsenic large sirens blared and those stuck extracurricular nan edifice shouted. Some of those who were capable to flight successful taxis were overcharged by nan drivers.

Saturday’s show was postponed to Monday night, but galore who had traveled from different regions of Brazil and extracurricular nan state had already made plans to time off earlier.

“We’re not going to beryllium capable to make it,” said Hely Olivares, a 41 year-old Venezuelan who had traveled from Panama. “A batch of group person wasted their journey.”