Argentina’s open-top bus parade has had to be cut short following their heroic World Cup win after numerous security concerns during the celebration thus far.
Returning home from Qatar 2022 on Tuesday, the national squad were met by an incredible reception as thousands gathered around the team plane as it landed in Buenos Aires.
However, it didn’t take long for the joyous scenes to get out of control as the victory parade began its journey through the capital and millions lining the streets began to swarm the bus in an attempt to meet their heroes.
In one rather incredible clip, multiple Argentine fans hanging from a bridge tried to jump aboard the team bus as it drove under the overpass, with one falling and having to be carried away on a stretcher.
Fans jump from a bridge on Argentina’s team bus. One falls, taken away on a stretcher, but still singing.
Bus supposed to finish at the iconic Obelisk monument, where hundreds of thousands of fans were gathered. But security forces said it was unsafe to enter the Plaza de la República. AFA president Chiqui Tapia said: "A thousand apologies on behalf of all of the champion players." pic.twitter.com/IxA8dcVQX4
As if these chaotic scenes weren’t enough, concerns were already raised for the players’ safety after it became apparent that the procession route itself wasn’t the most suitable, as various streets in and around Buenos Aires area threw up obstacles.
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In another video, the Argentinian players can be seen celebrating on the open-top bus when they are nearly struck by an electrical wire and have to duck their heads out of the way at the last second.
This could have ended very differently:
We’ve been so close to a tragic event at Argentina team celebration.
Messi, Di Maria, De Paul and Paredes went that close to being hanged by a high tension cable;
One several close calls during Argentina’s bus parade.
Given the fanaticism for football in the South American country, it came as no surprise that the bedlam soon got out of hand.
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To make matters worse, a 24-year-old man is said to have sadly died after falling from a roof during the chaos and a five-year-old boy fell into a coma after a chunk of marble fell from a statue as a result of the riotous celebrations.
Not only was this Argentina’s first World Cup since 1986, when Diego Maradona helped the team lift the trophy for the second time but, like his predecessor, this was also Lionel Messi‘s first — effectively completing the set when it comes to winning everything there is to win in football.
Understandably, virtually every Argentinian would have given anything to catch a glimpse of the national hero and sporting god and literally thousands of fans turned up at his home in Rosario as the car pulled into the drive.
The scenes outside Messi's house as he arrived back home in Rosario 😳🇦🇷
In fact, Messi and his teammates only managed to return home after local police decided to cancel the remainder of the parade and airlift the players out of the capital via helicopter.
The bus was supposed to reach the Obelisk monument as its final destination but simply couldn’t make it through the ridiculously large crowd, with the estimated eight-hour festivities lasting significantly longer and said to be still continuing in some parts as authorities try to restore some order.
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It is said that the city centre was packed with over five million people at its peak.
Chester Zoo named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors
Emily Sergeant
Congratulations are in order, yet again, for Chester Zoo… as this time its been one of England’s most popular attractions.
Merely months after being named the UK’s best zoo for the second year running, thanks to receiving more than 11,000 ‘excellent’ reviews from TripAdvisor, Chester Zoo has now got itself another prestigious title, as a major VisitEngland (VE) report has ranked it the third most-visited ‘paid for’ attraction in England – and the most visited outside of London.
The national tourist board for England gathered information from a total of 1,373 attractions across the country, and ranked the UK’s biggest charity zoo as the third overall in terms of popularity, with a whopping 1.9 million visitors in 2024 alone.
The Tower of London took top spot with 2.9 million visitors, while the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew was second place with 2.3 million visitors.
When it comes to free attractions, on the other hand, it wad the British Museum that claimed the top spot with 6.5 million visitors, while the Natural History Museum (5.9 million visitors) took second place, and the Tate Modern (4.6 million visitors) got third.
So as you can see, the south and London in particular is a pretty dominating force in England’s tourism industry – which is why it’s even more impressive to see Chester Zoo ranked so highly.
The new VE title also comes after the zoo was recently given £4 million of lottery funding to help ‘transform’ the local environment and restore wildlife habitats across the Cheshire and wider North West region.
Not only that, but if course follows Chester Zoo’s unveiling of its new immersive experience named Heart of Africa, which is the the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK and is home to 57 iconic African species.
Chester Zoo has been named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors / Credit: Chester Zoo
“As a major international wildlife charity, everything we do is focused on supporting global conservation,” commented Chester Zoo’s Commercial Director, Dom Strange.
“Whether it’s caring for highly-threatened animals and plants, making scientific discoveries, influencing Government environmental policies, impacting the National Curriculum to better connect young people with nature, or our conservation efforts in around 20 countries, we’re fully committed to protecting endangered species for the future.
“But none of this would be possible without our visitors.
“Every person who comes to the zoo for a fun and inspiring day out is helping to fund our vital work, so we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us to rank so highly in VisitEngland’s latest report.”
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Manchester Museum saves a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum has made a stunning new addition to its natural history collections, and in the process has ensured a ‘national treasure’ stays in the UK.
Not long after claiming the coveted title of European Museum of the Year for 2025, Manchester Museum has done it again – this time working together with John Rylands Library to acquire Henry Dresser’s unique personal copy of his anthology A History of the Birds of Europe so that this ‘invaluable resource’ can remain in the UK for future generations.
The beautifully-illustrated collection of books provide an important historical record to help understand how and why bird populations have changed over time.
Dresser’s personal copy is heavily-annotated with personal notes and observations.
These books are deemed to be of ‘outstanding significance’, not only for scientific purposes but also for their aesthetic value, as they have also been illustrated by some of the leading wildlife artists of the day.
The volumes were recognised as a national treasure by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, which is supported by the Arts Council, and this meant that the Government placed a temporary export deferral on them to allow time for UK buyers to raise the funds to keep them in the country.
Brilliantly, the acquisition of these books reunites them with Dresser’s own bird specimens that are already cared for by Manchester Museum, including species such as the Slender-billed curlew, which is now believed to be extinct.
The now-extinct species’ presence in both Dresser’s beautifully-annotated volumes and the ornithological collections at Manchester Museum highlights the vital role that historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time to uncover the long-term impact of environmental change.
Manchester Museum has saved a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK / Credit: Manchester Museum
“Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater and while this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present,” commented Esme Ward, who is the Director of Manchester Museum.
“These books are breathtakingly beautiful, and by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit, but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists.”
A History of the Birds of Europe will be officially unveiled at a private view on Friday 27 June, before being displayed to the public for the first time in Manchester Museum’s ‘Living Worlds’ gallery from Saturday 28 June 2025 right through until Sunday 25 January 2026.
Danny Jones -
21st December 2022 
