Three people died from suffocation as thousands of fans crowded Mexico City streets during World Cup celebrations, the capital's health secretariat said in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident occurred on Hamburgo and Lancaster Streets, near the Angel of Independence landmark, where thousands of soccer fans had gathered to celebrate Mexico's 2-0 victory over Ecuador in the round of 32.
"After receiving advanced resuscitation efforts, the deaths of a 44-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman from suffocation have been confirmed," the health authority said on social media.
Mexico City government head Clara Brugada Molina wrote on X that a third person, a 48-year-old woman, was also found unconscious that same evening and ultimately declared dead by medical professionals. Molina noted that this woman, too, died from suffocation. This was further corroborated by the health authority.
Vehicle hits crowd in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas at World Cup gathering, city hall says
One week earlier, a celebration of Mexico's World Cup match victory took a violent turn after a car rammed through a crowd of fans in the popular tourist resort of Cabo San Lucas, injuring over a dozen people, Los Cabos' city hall said in a statement.
A total of 17 people received medical treatment, the statement added, including the driver, who was arrested.
Multiple visuals posted on social media, verified by Reuters, show a black car surrounded by a crowd of people wearing Mexico’s national football team shirts. The car then accelerated into the crowd, throwing people into the air before crashing into bollards.
Other videos verified by Reuters show the crowd pulling someone from the car and attacking them while multiple people lie bloody on the ground in unknown condition.