FIFA World Cup: Three people die in Mexico celebrations as fans crowd streets

MEXICO CITY, July 1 (Reuters) - 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 deaths occurred 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.

Emergency teams tended to three unconscious people at different locations around Paseo de la Reforma, authorities said. The capital's most emblematic boulevard and the streets around it had been closed to traffic and set up for the soccer celebrations.

"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 initially said on social media.