Fatalities at Argentina Victory Parade... Team Rushes Away by Helicopter

One Death and Multiple Injuries Amid Crowded Cloud Gathering

The Argentina national football team, returning home triumphantly with the World Cup trophy for the first time in 36 years, halted their scheduled car parade due to the massive crowds and safety concerns. Players, including Messi, urgently left the event by switching to a helicopter.

Some citizens waiting for the team around the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, the final destination of the parade, expressed their disappointment, according to reports from the British daily The Guardian and news agencies AP and AFP on the 20th (local time).

Celebration event for Argentina's victory. Photo by AFP·Yonhap News

The Argentina team began their victory celebration car parade at around 11:45 a.m. from the outskirts of Buenos Aires at the Argentine Football Association. The vehicles moved at a snail's pace for nearly five hours due to the overwhelming crowds. Fans pushing forward all at once to get a closer look at the players made it difficult for the team’s vehicles to move.

Local media estimated that over 4 million people gathered along the approximately 30 km parade route into the city center. The newspaper reported growing concerns over safety incidents, with 18 people reportedly injured during the event. A harrowing scene unfolded when two people jumped off the parade vehicle, which had its roof removed, on an overpass.

One person landed safely on a bus, but the other missed the bus and fell onto the road behind it. Additionally, a 5-year-old boy who had come with his parents to the welcoming event suffered a severe head injury and is currently unconscious.

On the 21st, the British newspaper Daily Mail cited local Argentine media reporting that a man in his 20s, who had climbed onto a building roof to welcome the Argentine team during the event, fell when the roof collapsed, suffered a head injury, was transported to a nearby hospital, and died. The BBC also reported that journalist Jasi, covering the event near the Obelisk, was robbed amid the welcoming crowds. Ultimately, authorities urgently changed all plans. The players disembarked from the bus, switched to a helicopter, conducted an "aerial parade" over the Obelisk, and concluded the event.

Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, stated in a press release that the team was not scared by the crowds but was angry about not being able to continue the car parade as planned. He added, "The police escort did not allow us to go to the Obelisk where many fans had gathered," and apologized "on behalf of all the champion players."

Meanwhile, rumors circulated that the team would visit the presidential palace, known as the 'Casa Rosada' (Pink House), to recreate the 1986 World Cup victory celebration, drawing huge crowds to Plaza de Mayo in front of the palace. In 1986, captain Diego Maradona had raised the trophy from the presidential balcony and greeted nearly one million citizens gathered in Plaza de Mayo.

On the other hand, many citizens calmly accepted the sudden halt of the car parade and celebrated the first World Cup victory in 36 years, AP reported. The World Cup win was truly welcome news for Argentina, which has been suffering from a recession for years with one in four citizens living in poverty amid the world's highest inflation rates, the news agency added.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.