Four Dead in Mexico City During World Cup Victory Celebrations

MEXICO CITY — Mexican health officials said Wednesday that four people died amid huge celebrations in central Mexico City after the national soccer team defeated Ecuador, clinching a spot in the World Cup Round of 16.

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Two women and a man were discovered unconscious on streets near the Angel of Independence monument, the landmark where thousands of fans had gathered Tuesday night, Mexico City’s Health Secretariat said in a post on X. Officials said the three victims, ages 48, 44 and 19, died of asphyxiation. Authorities did not release further information about what led to their deaths.

Later Wednesday, Mexico City Health Secretary Nadine Gasman said at a news conference that a fourth victim, a man believed to be around 30 years old, was treated by emergency responders after experiencing an epileptic seizure, convulsions and gastrointestinal bleeding. He was taken to a hospital, where he died shortly afterward from cardiorespiratory arrest.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said on social media that emergency teams arrived quickly after reports that three people had been found unconscious, but they were already dead when help reached them.

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Brugada also called on residents and fans to celebrate “responsibly, carefully and with empathy.”

Fireworks filled the sky Tuesday night around the Independence Monument — widely known as “El Ángel” — as crowds packed the 5-kilometer, or 3-mile, stretch of Paseo de la Reforma, the major avenue connecting the Zócalo in the city center with Chapultepec Park.

In a video shared on social media Tuesday, Brugada estimated that about 1.4 million people were celebrating in the streets. She urged more people not to travel into the city center because of overcrowding and instead encouraged them to attend a concert by a popular cumbia band in eastern Mexico City.

All of Mexico City seemed overwhelmed Tuesday night. Improvised bands sprang up on street corners, while carts loaded with rockets known as “toritos” inched through streets so packed that people could barely move.

Bottles of alcohol were passed from hand to hand among young revelers as hundreds more tried to push closer to the city center, some succeeding, many others turned back by the crush of the crowd.