Taylor Swift has announced she is postponing tonight's Eras Tour show following the death of Ana Clara Benevides.
The 23-year-old sadly died before Taylor took to the stage in Rio de Janeiro on Friday night. Paramedics had attended to Ana at the show and taken her to a hospital, where she died an hour later.
In a statement shared to her Instagram Story, Taylor said: "I'm writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. 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 has to and always will come first."
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Ana Clara is said to have gone into cardiac arrest after fainting as she waited for the concert to begin as temperatures inside the stadium soared to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Firefighters have announced around 1,000 fans had fainted in the searing heat, with others having to be helped after vomiting.
Following the tragic news, Taylor released a heartfelt statement saying she has been left "devastated". Taking to her Instagram Story after the show, the 33-year-old 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. 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."
Many attendees have claimed they were banned from taking water into the stadium and said the water on offer at the venue was being sold at "very high" prices. Taylor was even seen pausing her show last night to ensure her fans had enough water in the humid conditions.
In videos circulating social media, Taylor could be seen waving to members of staff at the venue and urging them to bring water to the crowd. In one clip the crowd can be heard chanting "water, water, water".
One clip sees the hitmaker halting her show and saying: "There's people that need water right here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet back. 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?"
T4F, a shortened version of entertainment company Time For Fun, has faced criticism after concert-goers complained of being banned from taking in water. In a statement, they 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. 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."
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