Security forces stand around a stage that collapsed due to a gust of wind during an event attended by presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico, on Wednesday. Alberto Lopez/Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — Winds from a fierce electrical storm battered a stage and caused it to collapse during a rally in northern Mexico featuring a presidential candidate on Wednesday night, sending a metal structure crashing to the ground as panicked attendees fled.
Nine people were killed and at least 60 injured in the accident in San Pedro Garza García, near Monterrey, according to Samuel García, the governor of Nuevo Leon state. The Reforma newspaper reported that an 11-year-old boy was among those killed when he was buried under the structure.
Candidates from Movimiento Ciudadano, Mexico’s third-largest party, were standing on the stage, pumping their fists in the air and chanting the name of their presidential candidate – Jorge Álvarez Máynez – when several of them suddenly whirled around, according to video of the event shared by Mexican media. A giant screen in brilliant orange, the party’s color, began to fall.
Álvarez Máynez and the other politicians ran or dove for cover. The stage then collapsed.
Álvarez Máynez, who is in third place in polls in the lead-up to the June 2 election, was unharmed.
Police, soldiers and emergency personnel flooded into the park, searching for victims who were trapped or injured.
Hundreds of people had gathered to watch the rally. The candidates were wrapping up their speeches and preparing for a performance from a popular band when the wind suddenly blasted the stage.
“There are no words to describe the pain and sadness we all feel because of the terrible accident caused by a strong burst of wind during our campaign event,” tweeted the mayoral candidate, Lorenia Canavati.
Álvarez Máynez announced after the disaster that he would cancel his upcoming campaign activities. The presidential front-runner, Claudia Sheinbaum, called off a rally she had scheduled for Thursday in Monterrey.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
