Law enforcement in Rio de Janeiro have reportedly launched a probe into the company that organized the concerts of pop star Taylor Swift in the city following the death of a young fan at the stadium last week.
The consumer delegations unit of the city’s civil police department is investigating Time For Fun (T4F) for “the crime of endangering the life and health” of those who attended the show, according to a police spokesperson cited by NBC News.
“Event organizers will be called to testify, and other steps are underway to investigate the facts,” the spokesperson added.
The department said the probe is not linked to the death of 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado, NBC noted.
Machado fell ill at the start of the Nov. 17 concert and was examined by paramedics at the stadium who decided she had to be transferred to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead after receiving about an hour of emergency care, T4F said Saturday in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The company put out another statement Thursday, which did not seem to address the police probe. “We deeply understand this irreparable loss, respect the privacy of the family and reinforce the availability of T4F to collaborate both with the family and with the responsible authorities, who are still working to determine the cause of death,” the company said, according to a translation.
Last Friday’s show was held as the city recorded record-breaking heat, with temperatures exceeding 100 F, with several fans pleading for water and Swift herself calling on stadium staff to attend to her audience’s request.
Swift, who said she was “devastated” to hear of her fan’s death, then went on to cancel Saturday’s show over the “extreme temperatures in Rio,” and rescheduled that performance for Monday.
“The safety and well being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first,” she wrote in a statement.
Justice Minister Flávio Dino following Machado’s death announced concertgoers would be allowed to bring bottled water into venues, adding that organizers will be required to provide free drinking water stations for attendees.
Swift is holding three more concerts in the country, starting Friday in São Paulo.