Taylor Swift fans chant for ‘water’ in sweltering stadium at show where fan Ana Clara Benevides died & 1,000 fainted
THIS was the shocking moment Taylor Swift fans chant for water at the sweltering Rio de Janeiro concert where a fan died.
The brutal 42C heat at the Nilton Santos stadium saw 23-year-old fan Ana Clara Benevides's death and hundreds more fainting.
After hearing the desperate pleas for water, the Grammy-winning artist interrupted her performance to help her fans.
"You don't need to chant, it's totally fine," Taylor told her audience, later instructing her team from the stage: "We just need to get water to them."
Another clip showed the singer tossing a water bottle to dehydrating fans during her performance of All Too Well.
Taylor grabbed the bottle from a helpful stagehand, sauntered over to the centre of the stage and launched it into the crowd.
Other videos on social media showed Taylor's team handing out water cups around the venue.
The Nilton Santos stadium reached a thermal sensation of around 60 degrees Celsius and prohibited fans to bring their own water bottles.
Fans were banned from bringing their own bottles into the stadium, which reached a shocking thermal sensation of 60C.
Ana Clara shared a video on her Instagram at around 5pm in which she revealed it was 35C inside the stadium.
She said she had been waiting in the queue since 11am and appeared hot as she fanned herself while hiding beneath an umbrella.
And some eight hours after she arrived at the stadium she is believed to have collapsed while on the front row, being declared dead in hospital at 8.50pm.
Emergency services also unofficially announced 1,000 faint spells, local media reported.
An Instagram post by organisers listed the concert's forbidden items which included bottles, thermal cups, cans, beverages and plastic containers.
Benevides was on the railing and ended up fainting at the scene.
Pal Thiago Fernandes, 22, said his friend was revived at the stadium for 40 minutes before having a second arrest on the way to the hospital.
In a heartbreaking statement, a "devastated" Taylor Swift said her heart was "shattered" as she confirmed the tragic news on Instagram.
Sharing a written note on her Instagram story after the concert ended, Taylor said: "I can't believe I'm writing these words but it is with a shattered 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.
"There's very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young."
The pop icon, 33, performed her first of three shows in Rio de Janeiro on Friday as temperatures soared to 42 degrees Celsius.
She is scheduled to perform again on Saturday and Sunday but warned fans she is "not going to be able to speak about this from stage" because she feels "overwhelmed by grief."
Her statement continued: "I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends.
"This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil."
Taylor had paused Friday's concert at one point to ensure fans had enough water in the sweltering heat.
During her Evermore set, she urged officials to bring bottles to waving members of the crowd, as chants of "water, water" rang out.
"There's people that need water right here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet back," she said, pointing to a section in the audience.
"So whoever is in charge of giving them that, just make sure that happens. Can I get a signal that you know where they are?"
Temperatures are expected to rise in Rio on Saturday, with highs expected to feel like 109 degrees with the humidity.
Taylor is due to head to São Paulo, Brazil, next weekend for the final stop of her 2023 tour leg.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the star's representative for comment.
In a statement, T4F said: "It’s with great sadness that we inform you about the death of Ana Clara Benevides Machado aged 23.
“Yesterday night, Ana Clara felt unwell and was assisted by a team of emergency workers and paramedics, being taken to a medical centre at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium so the first aid protocol could be applied.
“Given the situation, the medical team opted to transfer her to Salgado Filho Hospital.
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“After nearly an hour of emergency assistance, she regrettably died.
“We send our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ana Clara Benevides.”