3 people die of asphyxiation during Mexico City celebrations after World Cup win

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican health authorities said Wednesday that three people died of asphyxiation during massive celebrations in downtown Mexico City after the national team’s victory over Ecuador secured a place in the World Cup Round of 16.

Two women and one man were found unconscious on streets near the iconic Angel of Independence monument, where thousands had gathered Tuesday night to celebrate, Mexico City's Health Secretariat said on the social platform X. The victims, who were not identified, were 48, 44 and 19 years old. Authorities did not provide additional details about the circumstances of the deaths.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said on social media that emergency crews responded immediately after receiving reports of the three unconscious people, but they had already died.

Brugada also urged the public to celebrate “responsibly, carefully and with empathy.”

Fireworks lit up the sky around the Independence Monument — popularly known as “El Ángel” — on Tuesday night as thousands of Mexicans celebrated along the 5-kilometer (3-mile) Paseo de la Reforma, which links the capital’s main square, the Zócalo, with Chapultepec Park.

In a video posted Tuesday on social media, Brugada said about 1 million people were celebrating in the streets and urged the public to stop heading to the city center to ease overcrowding. Instead, she encouraged people to attend a concert by a popular cumbia band in the eastern part of the city.

All of Mexico City seemed overwhelmed Tuesday night. Improvised bands sprang up on street corners, while carts loaded with rockets known as “toritos” inched through streets so packed that people could barely move.

Bottles of alcohol were passed from hand to hand among young revelers as hundreds more tried to push closer to the city center, some succeeding, many others turned back by the crush of the crowd.

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Soccer fans get revved up at a watch party on Reforma Ave., near the Angel of Independence monument, for the World Cup soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador, in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Soccer fans gather for a watch party for the World Cup soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador, at the base of the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Soccer fans gather for a watch party for the World Cup soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador, at the base of the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexican fans wave flags as they watch the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers made their first two free-agent moves under new team president Mike Gansey, agreeing to a deal with Knicks center Ariel Hukporti on Wednesday after reaching a deal with veteran forward Dean Wade a night earlier, a person with knowledge of the agreements told The Associated Press.

The 76ers added frontcourt depth by picking up Hukporti from the NBA champion New York Knicks, agreeing to a $3.4 million, one-year deal. They agreed to a $39 million, four-year deal with Wade, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deals cannot be signed until the league’s offseason moratorium is lifted on July 6.

Hukporti averaged just 2.2 points in 54 games with the Knicks and will add some frontcourt depth behind two-time NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid and Adem Bona. The 24-year-old Hukporti, who is from Germany, was the final pick of the 2024 draft by Dallas and had his rights traded that night to the Knicks.

Wade was the first big offseason deal made by new 76ers president of basketball operations Gansey. Gansey joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011 and worked as their general manager since 2022 before he left for Philadelphia and long championed Wade, who went undrafted in 2019 out of Kansas State.

The 6-foot-9 Wade spent his entire seven-year NBA career with the Cavaliers. He never has averaged more than 6.0 points in a season and is expected to become a key rotation player in Philadelphia.

The 29-year-old Wade has played 32 career playoff games.

He could slot in at forward and join a starting rotation that includes the aging Embiid and Paul George while the Sixers try to build around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.

The Sixers went 45-37 last season and were swept in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Knicks. Daryl Morey was fired in the aftermath of the sweep and replaced by Gansey — who now made his stamp on the Sixers by bringing in a familiar face from Cleveland.

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FILE - Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) goes to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Jan. 19, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File)