A football fan has died at Mexico's renowned Azteca Stadium, now known as Estadio Banorte, after plummeting from the VIP seating area shortly before last night's friendly fixture against Portugal.
The venue had just reopened following major refurbishment work when the tragedy unfolded.
According to security personnel, the man was under the influence of alcohol when he tried to leap from the upper tier of executive boxes down to the level below.
During his attempt to scale the exterior section, he lost his footing and tumbled to the ground floor.
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A statement posted to social media subsequently read: "Mexico City Public Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalía CDMX) deeply regrets the death of a person on Saturday, 28 March inside the Banorte Stadium, prior to the start of the Mexican national team’s friendly match.
"From the outset, officials from the Attorney General’s Office, forensic experts and officers from the Investigative Police attended the scene to commence the necessary investigations.
"The area was cordoned off, the scene was secured, and evidence was collected by experts specialising in criminalistics, photography and forensic medicine.
"Furthermore, analysis of CCTV footage from the stadium and its entrances is underway, as is the collection of statements from people who were at the scene, with the aim of accurately reconstructing the sequence of events and determining potential liability."
A football fan has died at Mexico's renowned Azteca Stadium
|REUTERS
It added: "Similarly, the statutory post-mortem procedure is currently underway to establish with certainty the cause of death, as well as the physical condition of the individual at the time of the fall.
"The Mexico City Public Prosecutor’s Office will continue its investigations thoroughly and will keep the public informed as relevant developments arise, in strict accordance with the principles of due process.”
The stadium holds particular historical significance as it is poised to become the first ground to host matches across three World Cup tournaments, having previously hosted the competitions in 1970 and 1986.
It will welcome fans for the opening fixture between Mexico and South Africa on June 11.
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Fans flocked to the Azteca Stadium for the fixture
|REUTERS
The venue is also scheduled to host additional group-stage encounters, including Uzbekistan against Colombia and Mexico facing either Czechia or Denmark, as well as knockout-round matches.
Despite the fatal incident occurring beforehand, the friendly proceeded as scheduled, finishing goalless.
Portugal were missing Cristiano Ronaldo from their squad due to injury.
The visitors came close in the 14th minute with Joao Felix's efforts before Goncalo Ramos struck the post midway through the first half.
The friendly proceeded as scheduled, finishing goalless
|REUTERS
They continued to look the more dangerous side after the break, with Bruno Fernandes firing just wide.
Tensions briefly flared between Pedro Neto and Jesus Gallardo, while the introduction of Toluca's Portuguese striker Paulinho was met with loud cheers from the home crowd.
Mexico almost claimed a late winner through substitute Armando Gonzalez but the forward's header went wide.
Mexico, who were booed by sections of the crowd at the final whistle, face Belgium in another friendly on Tuesday, while Portugal take on the United States the same day.
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