Fan's Death At Taylor Swift's Brazil Show Caused By Heat Exhaustion - Forensics Report

A forensic report has said that heat exhaustion caused the death of a young fan at a Taylor Swift show last month.

On November 17, Ana Clara Benevides fainted during Swift's show in Rio de Janeiro, which took place in 38 degree heat, before subsequently suffering a fatal cardiac arrest at a local hospital. She was 23 years old.

Reacting to her death, Taylor Swift cancelled the following show in the city, due to extreme conditions, saying that she was "devastated" by the tragic news. 

While it had been suggested that fans were not allowed to bring water into the stadium, a forensic report from Rio's Forensic Medical Institute, has stated that Benevides' cardio-respiratory arrest emanated from heat exposure. It also said that neither pre-existing health conditions, or substance abuse could have led to her death.

The report also stated that this heat caused Benevides to suffer “serious compromise of her lungs and sudden death”. 

With a criminal investigation into Benevides' death being opened up, Rio police have said in a statement that “representatives of the company organizing the event will be called to testify", once they have analysed the forensic report. 

The event's organisers T4F did not respond to a request for a comment at the time of writing, but CEO Serafim Abreu said in a video a few days after Benevides' death, that the company would change its protocols for events under such extreme heat. 

Abreu also stated that the company would offer its support to Anna Clara Benevides' family.