Mum-of-three Cristina Vita Aranda, who is married to Club Olimpia player Ivan Torres, died after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head in the VIP area of a concert venue in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion
The model wife of Club Olimpia footballer Ivan Torres was among the five people shot dead at a concert in Paraguay yesterday
The model wife of a Paraguayan top-flight footballer has been shot dead at a concert.
Cristina Vita Aranda, who has three children with Club Olimpia player Ivan Torres, was pronounced dead shortly after being rushed to hospital with a bullet wound to her head.
Local reports said left-back Torres, a former U20 international, was also at the concert and helped get his wife to hospital although the model and influencer announced recently they were planning to divorce after 10 years of marriage.
It is believed she was caught in the crossfire of a gunfight in the VIP area of a concert hall in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion, although yesterday’s shooting is still being investigated by police and prosecutors.
A man named as Marcos Ignacio Rojas Mora also died, with unconfirmed reports saying the intended target was a drug dealer identified locally as Ederson Salinas Benitez.
Cristina Vita Aranda has three children with Torres, but the couple had recently split
Four people aged between 23 and 40 were also shot and were being treated for their injuries in hospital today.
Ivan, who began his career with Paraguayan side Cerro Porteno before signing for the club’s arch-rivals Club Olimpia in December 2014, is said to have suffered a panic attack but was uninjured.
Local TV footage showed one of the victims being carried out of the ampitheatre on a stretcher by security guards and paramedics while a man who also appeared to be hurt was guided towards an exit by two men helping him to walk.
Another four people between the ages of 23 and 40 were also shot
Confirming 29-year-old Cristina’s death, Itaugua Nacional Hospital director Yolanda Gonzalez said: “She was intubated when she arrived and attempts were made to resuscitate her for at least 25 minutes after she went into cardiac arrest.
“She died after the lengthy attempts to save her life.”
Vita Aranda, who described herself on Instagram to her 445,000 followers as a personal trainer although she also did modelling work and was often referred to as an influencer in her homeland, posted footage of her four days before her death working out in the gym.
Unconfirmed reports say the target of the shooting was a drug dealer
She wrote alongside the selfie video of her lifting weights: “People think I go to the gym only so I can show off a good body.
“What they don’t know is that it controls stress and anxiety, it helps improves my morale and it gives me physical and mental strength and confidence.”
Cristina and her husband posed together for a Christmas picture before the brunette’s recent announcement they had decided to call time on their relationship.
Ivan is yet to comment on the tragedy
Ivan, who has yet to publicly comment on Sunday’s tragedy, wrote: “Family united and the table laid, the most special thing of every Christmas.”
Following news of their split, the footballer said in a photo he posted with their children: “I have always been a very sincere person and today I feel very sad and in a lot of pain, but despite that I’m here today to give my best and fight always.
“I thank my family, my teammates and ex-teammates who are supporting me at this difficult moment.”
The couple were believed to be trying to patch up the rift between them at the time of the shooting
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Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
They were still man and wife when the shooting happened and were believed to be trying to patch things up between them.
A group called Binomio de Oro were on stage when the shooting occurred. The concert was suspended immediately.
Ivan Torres enjoyed a spell in Argentina with first-division side Club Atletico Colon between his time with Club Olimpia. He returned to the Paraguay side in 2017 following the end of his loan period.
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