Political Rally Ends in Tragedy After Stage Collapses
At least nine people are dead and dozens more injured after a heavy gust of wind caused a stage to collapse at a presidential campaign rally in Mexico on Wednesday evening.
The event was in support of Citizens Movement candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez in San Pedro Garza Garcia, a city in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. In the video of the incident which has surfaced on social media, Álvarez Máynez could be seen smiling and pumping his fist in the air as the crowd chanted for him. Then suddenly, as Álvarez Máynez looked up, a large screen began to fall towards him and pandemonium broke loose and he and others on the stage ran for cover.
Momento en que se desploma escenario donde se llevaba a cabo el cierre de Campaña de la candidata a la alcaldía de San Pedro Lorenia Canavati acompañada de Jorge Álvarez Máynez, candidato a la Presidencia de Movimiento Ciudadano. Estima la Cruz Roja Mexicana 80 heridos. pic.twitter.com/RbJMBUF8xb
— Mario Castillo (@mariocastillob) May 23, 2024
According the the state's governor Samuel Garcia, via Reuters, the victims were eight adults and one children, with nearly 70 others hospitalized. Garcia was heading to a hospital where three people were in surgery as of Wednesday evening, and had planned to meet with security and civil protection officials early on Thursday.
After being cleared at a local hospital, Álvarez Máynez, returned to the scene of the accident, where he told reporters: "I've never experienced something so sudden." He also announced that he was suspending campaign activities and expressed hope that authorities would conduct an investigation with transparency.
"I am fine and in communication with state authorities to follow up on what happened," he added on social media. "The only important thing right now is to care for the victims of the accident."
Álvarez Máynez is described as a "long shot candidate" who was polling in third place at the time of the incident, behind ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum and opposition coalition candidate Xochitl Galvez in second-place.
Following the tragedy, Sheinbaum canceled a campaign event in Monterrey on Thursday "in solidarity" with victims and their loved ones. "My condolences and prayers go out to the families of the deceased, and my wishes for a speedy recovery to all the injured people," Galvez likewise posted to social media.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador also expressed condolences, saying that he "sends a hug to family members, friends of the victims and political supporters."