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Fans who endured a scorching heatwave to see Taylor Swift perform in Brazil last week say they suffered “second-degree burns” while waiting for the concert where one of them tragically died.
Writing on social media, several said they needed medical attention as temperatures soared to over 37C at Rio de Janeiro’s Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos on Friday.
User @autoranya said she left the event with three serious burns, as “the metal plates covering the floor turned into hot plates at 40°C.” Another said conditions were “inhumane” inside the stadium, with crowds pressing together.
“When they opened the entrance I was pushed and fell to the HOT floor. I had two second degree burns that wouldn’t stop burning in the sun.
Fans said they were banned from bringing water into the stadium on Friday, despite Taylor Swift ordering staff to hand out bottles. Heat led to Saturday’s show being postponed and a fan reportedly died after collapsing.
Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, collapsed in the front row and reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest. She was taken to hospital where she suffered a second cardiac arrest and died.
Taylor Swift, 33, is currently in the middle of her highly anticipated Eras Tour, traveling across five continents with 151 shows between March 2023 and December next year.
User Autoranya said she suffered second-degree burns in Friday’s scorching heat.
“When they opened the entrance, I was pushed and fell to the ground. HOT ! I had two second degree burns that wouldn’t stop burning in the sun,” one fan said
Taylor Swift gives two of her concerts in the evening in Rio on November 19, 2023
Fans complained about unbearable conditions at Friday’s event as the city soared to temperatures that residents felt were 59C due to high humidity.
In one post, sharing their experience, a fan said that Taylor’s team “was there to investigate” throughout “and her head of security was very concerned.”
“He asked them to attend to me quickly and did everything he could to help me because I was crying in pain,” she said.
“When I went in, more people were burned. People vomited, fainted… the doctor wouldn’t confirm the burns! (He) was under pressure! A woman who was there didn’t want to help me a second time because I said I was already gone…absurd.’
Fan Kléssia Menezes told R7 TV: “I didn’t imagine that my dream could turn into a nightmare.
She said she got stuck on one of the ramps leading to a VIP area as security guards blocked the entrance.
Once allowed through, people started running and she fell on a hot metal floor that burned her leg and back, she said.
More than 1,000 people are said to have fainted during filming, according to firefighters.
During the set, Swift was forced to stop the event and asked for water to be handed out to the audience.
In one video, she is seen saying: “There are people who need water here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet away.
“So whoever is responsible for giving them that, just make sure it happens.” Can I get a signal that you know where they are?
Local reports claimed that bringing water into the stadium was prohibited and that fans could expect to pay R$8 ($1.60) for a small 305ml cup of water.
The public prosecutor’s office and consumer protection services have since opened investigations into possible negligence on the part of the T4F organizers.
Taylor Swift was in Rio de Janeiro for three nights between Friday and Monday, after making the decision to postpone Saturday’s show “due to the extreme temperatures in Rio.”
Brazil recorded its hottest temperature on record – 112.6F (44.8C) over the weekend in the city of Araçuaí, in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
Sunday’s record surpassed the previous record of 44.7°C measured in 2005.
The weather has been blamed on El Niño and climate change.
Red alerts have been issued across the country as Brazil is sweltered by high heat and humidity.
Taylor was unaware of the tragedy that occurred during her performance and has since released a statement expressing her devastation over Benevides’ death.
More than 1,000 fans were reported to have passed out during Friday’s event.
Fans on Twitter criticized the organization of the event, defending Taylor Swift – who called for water sharing
Taylor Swift also said on Instagram that she was “overwhelmed with grief” over the death of Ana Clara Benevides Machado, who would have collapsed to number one during the second song on November 17.
The artist said: “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it’s with a broken heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight, before my show.
“I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this.
“I have very little information other than the fact that she was incredibly beautiful and much too young.”
She said: “I’m not going to be able to talk about it from the stage because I feel overwhelmed with grief when I even try to talk about it.”
Rio’s municipal health department said Benevides, who a friend said fainted during Swift’s second song, “Cruel Summer,” suffered cardiopulmonary arrest, but the exact cause of her death was unclear. is not yet known.
In a Nov. 19 interview, the girl’s father said his daughter had “left for a dream and came back dead.”
Weiny Machado, 53, said her daughter was “happy and smart,” “about to graduate with a degree in psychology next April, which will save her money.”
“I have no words to express my pain. She left home to fulfill a dream and returned dead.
T4F, the organizers, previously expressed their “sincere condolences” to Ana’s family and friends in a statement on Saturday.
They said she “did not feel well and was quickly treated by the fire and ambulance team” before being taken to the nearby Salgado Filho Hospital.
They also said water features would be set up at later shows – before the artist postponed them.
It comes after Ana Clara Benevides, 23, suffered a cardiac arrest and died after attending a Swift concert in Rio.
Concerned: In the clip filmed by a member of the public, Taylor can be heard responding to calls for water by asking those in front of her to help her.
Swifties: fans in the audience on Friday at the Estadio Olimpico Nilton Santos
A second Taylor Swift fan later died in Rio de Janerio after being fatally stabbed while attending the pop star’s Eras tour over the weekend.
Gabriel Milhomem Santos was killed just hours after attending the world tour at the Brazilian city’s Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium.
The 25-year-old, who was wearing a “Swifities” friendship bracelet, was allegedly stabbed to death while relaxing on the popular Copacabana beach in the early hours of Sunday morning.
It is understood that Taylor Swift will now return to the US for Thanksgiving, before returning to Brazil for the Sao Paolo shows on November 24.