A day after a fan collapsed and died at Singer Taylor Swift’s concert in Brazil, a 25-year-old man who had traveled to Rio De Janeiro to attend the singer’s world tour was stabbed to death. Gabriel Milhomem Santos was killed on Sunday morning after he attended the show at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium. Reports say he was still wearing a “Swiftie” bracelet when he was found.
The cause of Ana Clara Benevides Machado’s death was not immediately known. Still, the city’s mayor, Fernando Paes, issued an order demanding the event organizer, Time4Fun, provide more water distribution points at the venue and more brigades and ambulances. The mayor also said the municipality would demand that entrance to the concert be advanced by one hour. The city’s Justice Minister, Flavio Dino, also published an emergency ordinance addressing access to drinking water at events in the wake of the tragedy.
In a video clip of her Friday night performance, Swift repeatedly asked for water from fans and threw bottles at some of the audience. The heat in Rio was sweltering, with the temperature at the stadium reaching 60C, and firefighters reported more than a thousand fainting cases during the concert, according to Folha de S. Paulo.
Time4Fun released a statement Saturday saying it will add more staff to Swift’s concert and allow fans to bring sealed water into the arena. It will also provide more water stations throughout the stadium and increase the number of hydration packs available. The company said it will also allow fans to bring snacks into the stadium.
Taylor Swift’s show in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday will go as planned despite the postponement of Saturday’s performance due to the record-breaking heat. Temperatures were cooler on Sunday, and the concert was scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time (0600 GMT).
Fans were already lining up outside the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium in the Rio suburb of Niteroi. The concert was initially supposed to occur on Friday night, but the weather turned dangerous.
The 25-year-old from Mato Grosso do Sul traveled to Rio for the Eras Tour performance to fulfill his dream of seeing his idol perform live. His family said he would be buried in his hometown with the outfit he had made especially for the concert.
The police are looking for three men suspected of robbery and murder in connection with the killing. Two of the suspects have criminal records, including one for stealing 80 chocolate bars in the same neighborhood on Friday. The third is a drug trafficker who has been arrested for other crimes in the past. The suspects are believed to have been hired by a local crime syndicate. The police are not yet naming them. The investigation is ongoing.
