The devastated father of Taylor Swift’s fan who died at her Brazil concert due to extreme heat has demanded answers from concert organizers.
Benevides’ father Weiny Machado, 53, told the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo he wants the promoters to clarify whether concertgoers were prohibited from bringing water into the show which took place in Rio de Janeiro last Friday.
‘I want it to be found out whether they were in fact prohibited from bringing water, whether there was negligence in providing assistance,’ Machado told the paper. ‘I lost my only daughter, a happy and intelligent girl.
‘She was about to graduate in psychology next April, saving money. I have no words to express my pain. She left home to fulfill a dream and came back dead.’
Ana’s cousin Estela Benevides told the paper that Ana fainted ahead of her death on Friday while she was in the front row of the Estádio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro amid triple-digit temperatures to see Swift, 33, perform as part of her Eras Tour.
Ana fainted while she was in the front row for Taylor’s show and was ‘resuscitated at the stadium for about 40 minutes’ before suffering a second cardiac arrest while on the way to a hospital, the paper reported.
Ana died shortly after arriving at a local hospital, with the paper reporting the heat index at the stadium ‘reached 60C’ – 140F – and firefighters reportedly ‘counted a thousand faintings during the event.’
Ana’s cousin Gabriela Benevides told the paper that they are concerned that they ‘will not have the resources’ to have Ana’s body brought back to them.
Fans filled social media with claims they had been prohibited from bringing water bottles into the stadium.
Swift said in her announcement on Instagram Saturday that she was cancelling her second scheduled gig at the stadium.
‘I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium,’ Swift said. ‘The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio. The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers and crew always has to come first.’
Hours earlier, Swift posted another Instagram Story to tell fans she was ‘overwhelmed’ by grief over Ana’s death.
Swift’s cancelation of Saturday’s show was confirmed by Time For Fun, The Mirror reported, as the company said it had enacted a ‘special action plan’ amid soaring temperatures.
‘Given the forecast of an increase in the heat wave in the city, we inform you that we are reinforcing the special action plan carried out for the first day of the show, especially the provision of free water in the queues and at all accesses and entrances to the stadium and inside,’ the company said.
‘In this way, new free water distribution points will be available to the public during the event.
‘Entry into the stadium with sealed glasses of water and sealed processed food will also be permitted, with no limitation on items per person. We clarify that the requirement for items to be sealed follows safety recommendations.’
The company continued: ‘We also emphasize that the prohibition of bottles of water entering stadiums is a requirement made by public bodies and that we do not sell drinks and food, this being the responsibility of the stadium administration.’
The company said it had beefed up resources amid the heavily-attended shows taking place during the sweltering heatwave.
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