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Stage Technician Dies During Build for Shakira’s Copacabana Concert

The death underscores the safety risks of erecting a massive beach stage for a free show.

Overview

  • Firefighters said the worker, whose legs were crushed in a lifting system Sunday, was freed by colleagues and later died at a hospital, and the organizer Bonus Track confirmed the death.
  • The concert is still scheduled for May 2 in Rio, with crews installing a monumental stage on the sand for more than two weeks.
  • One outlet identified the victim as 28-year-old Gabriel de Jesus Firmino, a detail not confirmed by officials in the reports cited.
  • Security teams earlier removed an explosive device on April 13 from the Copacabana promenade, which local media described as a stun grenade designed to disorient with flash and noise.
  • City data point to very large turnouts for free beach shows, with Riotur citing about 2.1 million for Lady Gaga and 1.6 million for Madonna, raising stakes for crowd control and emergency response.