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Three people died from suffocation Tuesday night as more than one million fans flooded the streets of Mexico City to celebrate Mexico's 2-0 World Cup victory over Ecuador, the nation's first knockout-round win in four decades.
A 19-year-old woman, a 48-year-old woman, and a 44-year-old man were all treated by emergency services at separate locations along Paseo de la Reforma before being rushed to hospital, where they were later confirmed dead. The city's health authority said all three victims were identified by their families and died from asphyxiation after being caught in the surging, massive crowds.
The celebrations were centered around the iconic Angel of Independence monument in downtown Mexico City, a traditional gathering point for national sporting moments. Mayor Clara Brugada had actually warned fans before kickoff to avoid the area entirely, citing dangerously large crowds already assembled there. Her warnings went largely unheeded, and the scene after the final whistle was one of overwhelming, uncontrollable joy.
"After performing first aid and CPR techniques on the patients, they were transferred to a hospital for specialised medical care," the city's health authority said in a statement. Brugada later took to social media to offer condolences to the victims' families, urging fans to "always celebrate with responsibility, care, and empathy."
Mexico's victory at Estadio Azteca snapped a stunning 40-year drought in World Cup knockout competition, sending the co-host nation into the round of 16 and detonating celebrations across the sprawling metropolitan area of more than 20 million people. Fireworks lit up the sky long after the final whistle, and the scenes of jubilation stretched across large portions of the capital.
Mexico's reward for advancing is a potential round-of-16 clash with England, provided Thomas Tuchel's side defeat DR Congo in their Wednesday fixture. For now, however, the joy of a historic victory is shadowed by the grief of three families, and questions about crowd safety at future matches loom large.
