Disturbing footage has emerged of Taylor Swift struggling to regain her breathe while performing in extreme heat in Brazil.

It followed the star’s postponement of Saturday’s concert at Rio de Janeiro’s Nilton Santos stadium, after a fan died shortly before Friday’s show (local time).

Clips circulating on social media show Swift gasping for breath as she sings during an unprecedented heatwave that has triggered health alerts across Brazil.

The BBC said authorities had warned of the danger to life as Brazil recorded a heat index, which combines temperature with humidity, of 59.3 degrees (138.7) on Friday followed by 59.7 degrees (139.5F) on Saturday.

Other videos taken at the concert show Swift throwing a bottle of water into the crowd while singing All Too Well in the stifling heat.

Swift postponed Saturday’s The Eras Tour concert in Rio after 23-year-old fan Ana Clara Benevides fell ill and later died in the hospital, shortly before Friday’s opening show.

Organisers said Benevides had sought help at the stadium after feeling unwell. She was transferred to hospital but died an hour later.

Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo said her cause of death was given as cardiorespiratory arrest.

The tragedy led the Brazilian government to order event organiser T4F to ensure water access at all of Swift’s Brazilian concerts and issue a directive allowing water bottles to be brought into all concerts.

Fans had initially been banned from bringing their own water bottles into the Nilton Santos stadium.

Brazil’s Justice Minister Flávio Dino posted on X (former Twitter) that water bottles must be allowed. He said he had ordered T4F to provide free and easily accessible drinking water.

T4F said on Saturday it would provide free water at queues and all stadium entrances and exits, and allow entry with sealed water cups and flexible plastic bottles.

Swift postponed Saturday’s concert just two hours before she was due to go on stage. The “devastated” star posted a statement to Instagram, saying her heart was “shattered” at the death of Benevides.

Some fans, who had already travelled from different states and countries to the stadium for Saturday’s concert, were angry at the postponement.

“There were people crying, people throwing tantrums, hoping it was all a lie. In short, it was terrible,” said student Victor Guimaraes, who was waiting in line again on Sunday to watch the singer’s performance.

Swift’s postponed concert went ahead on Sunday in significantly lower temperatures. Fans outside the Nilton Santos stadium were still eager to see her.

“There was the cancellation yesterday, I was a bit apprehensive about today, but I hope everything goes well. Today is not hot, it’s cool. The expectation is high for everything to go well,” said Iasmin Moreira Oliveira, in front of vendors hawking umbrellas and raincoats to protect from the expected rain.

Intense heat waves, attributed to the El Niño phenomenon and global temperature rises, have gripped multiple Brazilian states. Temperatures have topped historical averages since July, according to the National Institute of Meteorology.

-with AAP