Tragic Death of Crew Member During Concert Setup for Shakira

A crew member involved in building the stage for Shakira’s upcoming concert in Brazil tragically died after being crushed on-site, according to both concert organizers and authorities.

The technician suffered severe injuries to his lower limbs while operating in a lifting system, as reported by the state fire brigade (CBMERJ). This fatal accident occurred on April 26, just six days before Shakira was scheduled to perform at Copacabana beach, as noted by concert statements shared on Instagram. Shakira identified the deceased as Gabriel de Jesus Firmino in a message to USA Today.

Organizers acknowledged that “the life of a professional who was working on assembling the structures for the show was claimed” by this incident.

According to the statement, first responders provided initial care right away, and the Fire Department was swiftly called in to transport the injured technician. Sadly, the individual could not be saved and passed away in the hospital.

Workers on-site managed to extract the technician from the equipment before emergency crews arrived.

The ambulance service from the 3rd Maritime Group (GMAR-Copacabana) commenced pre-hospital care immediately and transported the victim to Miguel Couto Municipal Hospital. Despite all efforts from the rescue teams, he was declared dead.

A witness, Antonio Marcos Ferreira dos Santos, was on the beach when the incident took place. He described seeing chaos, with “people running,” and later realized that “the structure was on the ground.” He recounted noticing that a man was trapped underneath it, with help rushing to assist him.

Shakira expressed her sorrow in her statement to USA Today, saying, “I am deeply saddened for the family, friends, and colleagues of Gabriel de Jesus Firmino, a local worker who lost his life yesterday at the concert. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.”

At this time, it remains uncertain whether Shakira will still go ahead with her performance as planned.