Tragedy at the World Cup

Suffocated! Three Dead During Fan Celebrations in Mexico

Unpleasant scenes in Mexico(Bild: AP/Marco Ugarte)

What a bitter toll: The overwhelming enthusiasm over World Cup co-host Mexico’s advancement to the round of 16 has claimed three lives! Three people died from suffocation when thousands of fans crowded the streets of Mexico City during the celebrations. The capital’s health department reported this in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The incident occurred at the intersection of Hamburgo and Lancaster streets near the “Angel de la Independencia” monument, where thousands of soccer fans had gathered to celebrate Mexico’s 2-0 victory over Ecuador. “Despite intensive resuscitation efforts, the deaths of a 44-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman due to suffocation were confirmed,” the health authority stated on social media. The third fatality was a 48-year-old woman who also appeared to have suffocated. She was treated on a side street but died after being admitted to a hospital.

Driver Dies After Violent Incident Last Week
A driver who, for reasons still unknown, plowed into a celebrating crowd in the tourist town of Cabo San Lucas last week following Mexico’s victory over the Czech Republic has also died. This was confirmed on Facebook by Alberto Rentería, the secretary general of the Los Cabos district administration in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.

According to the newspaper “Reforma” and other media outlets, the man succumbed to injuries to his skull and various internal organs inflicted by an angry mob after he drove through the crowd. Reportedly, the man was dragged from his vehicle by enraged bystanders and beaten. He was practically “lynched,” wrote the website “Novedades Yucatán,” for example. After his arrest, he was taken to a hospital.

(Bild: AP/Dario Lopez-Mills)

Incidents Also Occurred at Other Venues
Even before Mexico’s round of 16 match on Tuesday, hundreds of people had stormed a fan festival in Monterrey, after the entrances to the venue had been closed once the maximum capacity of around 100,000 people was reached, reported the newspaper “El Norte.” This led to fans attempting to break down the gates, climb over the fences, or knock them down. In Mexico City, hundreds of thousands gathered in the Zócalo and along the boulevard Paseo de la Reforma to watch the game. There, too, fans tried to storm the fan festival in the city’s historic center. In Guadalajara, according to the broadcaster “Milenio,” several fans were arrested following riots at the fan festival.

The World Cup in Mexico is nearing its end. Following the match between Mexico and Ecuador, there will be one more Round of 16 match featuring the host nation on Sunday in Mexico City. The final eight matches, starting with the quarterfinals, will be played exclusively in the United States.