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1 year ago
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Brazilian police have launched an investigation into Time For Fun, the company that organized Taylor Swift’s shows in Rio de Janiero, following the death of a fan amid sweltering temperatures.
A spokesperson for the Civil Police Department of Rio de Janeiro said that its consumer delegations department had opened an inquiry into 'the crime of endangering the life and health' of concertgoers.
'Event organizers will be called to testify, and other steps are underway to investigate the facts,' the statement read.
Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, lost consciousness at the show on November 17 and was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her cousin told local news outlets that she was believed to have suffered cardiac arrest.
Police say the investigation is not connected to Machado's death.
Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, was treated on-site by medical staff before being rushed to the hospital after fainting at Taylor Swift's Friday night show in Rio de Janiero
Taylor Swift fans waited for the doors of Nilton Santos Olympic stadium to open for her Eras Tour concert amid a heat wave in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday before the show was called off
Fans were hosed down outside the arena amid sweltering temperatures
The show was held amid a record-breaking heat wave, as temperatures in the stadium skyrocketed to 138 degrees Fahrenheit.
Swift said in an Instagram story after the show that she was 'overwhelmed by grief' over the young fan's death.
The pop star appeared to be struggling to breathe during the same concert.
In a TikTok video, she turned away from the audience and hurriedly took several gasps of air before starting the next song.
Fans took to social media, calling on T4F to make sure there was access to water and trending the hashtag 'T4F WE DEMAND RESPECT.'
The company issued a statement the day after Machado's death, sending condolences to her family and friends.
'Yesterday night, Ana Clara felt unwell and was assisted by a team of emergency workers and paramedics, being taken to a medical center at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium so the first aid protocol could be applied,' they wrote.
'Given the situation, the medical team opted to transfer her to Salgado Filho Hospital. After nearly an hour of emergency assistance, she regrettably died.'
The company announced that fans would be able to enter the next two shows with water bottles and some sealed foods.
Despite the measures, Saturday's performance was postponed.
Benevides had taken her first-ever flight to see her favorite musician before her death
Swift posted a message to social media after Saturday's concert was called off
Swift posted a message from her dressing room reading, in part: 'The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.'
Benevides had taken her first flight ever to travel from the country's center-west region to see her favorite musician.
She created a WhatsApp group to keep her family updated, sending photos and videos along the way.
On her way to Rio, Benevides sent a video to family members, telling them: 'Mom, look at the plane, it's moving. Mom, I´m on the plane. My God in heaven! I'm happy!'
Before the concert, she posted a video of herself on Instagram clad in a Taylor Swift t-shirt and signature friendship bracelets.
She told her followers while fanning her face that she´d arrived at 11am - the show began around 7.30pm - and was 'still in the mess.'
Swift is scheduled to play three shows in São Paulo before moving on to Tokyo.
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