Rio de Janeiro is currently experiencing a real hell that not even the breeze from the Rio de Janeiro sea can appease. The thermometers show a new record every day and this Saturday's seems unrealistic: the wind chill reached 59.7 degrees Celsius and extraordinary measures had to be taken, such as the suspension of the show that Taylor Swift was going to give.
The news comes in the midst of a shocking heat wave that has been going on for several days. The concern turned into tragedy when it became known that a 23-year-old spectator died on Friday night of cardiac arrest caused by dehydration and high heat during the concert that the American singer Taylor Swift gave to the concert.
On Friday, Rio had recorded a wind chill of 59.3°C in Guaratiba, in the west. The value was, until this morning, the highest index ever recorded in the municipality since the Rio Alert system began measuring in 2014.
But as the hours went by on Saturday, that number was left behind.
The city of the eternal carnival is under a storm warning until 0:<> this Sunday, along with São Paulo, the entire center-west of the country and parts of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais.
That's because the arrival of a cold front to the coast on Saturday is expected to cause storms, with wind gusts that can reach 100 km/h in the southeast region, which is under alert.
Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro authorities are trying to determine what happened with the death of Ana Clara Benevides, a psychology student from Mato Grosso do Sula and a fan of the American artist who died during the show.
The case shocked Brazil and the singer herself, who expressed condolences on social networks, to the point that the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had to intervene so that the shows are allowed to enter with bottles of water and avoid other tragedies caused by the extreme weather phenomena that Brazil is experiencing.
According to the Globo network, more than 1,000 people fainted and had to be treated before and during the show due to the heat and dehydration.
Inside the Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro's northern Meier neighborhood, the glasses of water sold cost the equivalent of two dollars and sold out quickly.
In response, the government signed a resolution to allow bottles of water to be brought into all shows in Brazil, directing organizers to provide free water to spectators.
DB