Pop sensation Taylor Swift decided to postpone her concert in Rio de Janeiro due to extreme heat, following the tragic death of a fan during her performance the previous night.
The announcement on Saturday was prompted by a soaring heat index in the city, reaching as high as 59 degrees Celsius (138 Fahrenheit) on Friday, when a 23-year-old fan among the 60,000 attendees lost her life during the inaugural "Eras Tour" show in Brazil.
"I'm writing this from my dressing room in the stadium," Swift posted on Instagram on Saturday. "The decision has been made to postpone tonight's show due to extreme temperatures in Rio."
"The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers and crew has to and always will come first," she added.
The concert was moved to Monday.
Videos posted on social media from Friday captured Swift's efforts to assist fans by sending aides to distribute water bottles, with the singer even personally throwing one to the audience.
"It's with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight," Swift said in a post on Instagram earlier Saturday. "I can't even tell you how devastated I am by this."
The Rio Health Secretariat confirmed the death of Ana Benevides on Friday evening, citing cardiorespiratory arrest during Swift's concert at the Nilton Santos stadium. Despite efforts to revive her, the young woman could not be saved, leading to the launch of an investigation into the incident.
"At this time, the cause of death cannot be determined," the agency had said.
Much of central and southeastern Brazil has been grappling with an unusually oppressive springtime heat wave, contributing to the challenging conditions at the concert. Fans expressed frustration with the venue's management, claiming officials prevented them from bringing in water.
Criticism mounted as attendees denounced the lack of organization and alleged that denying water was a serious oversight.
"The lack of organization yesterday was absurd. What happened to the young woman was a crime due to bad organization. You just don't deny anybody water," said Yasmin Monteiro, 24, who tried to enter the stadium Saturday with five liters of water, before the announcement that the night's concert was postponed.
Caio Wesley, a 25-year-old who attempted to bring four litres of water, described the organizers' attitude in prohibiting liquids as "selfish."
"I brought all this water to see how long I can last," he told AFP.
Responding to the incident, Brazil's Justice Ministry issued a resolution on Saturday mandating event organizers to ensure fans have access to drinking water.
"It is unacceptable that people suffer, faint and even die due to lack of access to water," Justice Minister Flavio Dino said.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino condemned the unacceptable conditions that led to suffering, fainting, and the tragic death of a fan.
In her earlier Saturday post, Swift said she would not discuss the woman's death from stage as "I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it.
"I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends," she added.
