At Least 9 Dead And More Than 50 Injured As Strong Winds Plummet Stage At A Campaign Rally In Mexico

Very strong winds brought the stage down as a rally was taking place to promote Lorenia Canavati, mayoral candidate for San Pedro, and long-shot presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Máynez in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia, near Monterrey.

Video footage uploaded to social media shows both candidates running from the collapsing stage. Máynez said on social media he and other members of his team were treated at a hospital, but he said “I am fine.” The rally was also attended by the popular Mexican band Grupo Bronco. 

Governor Samuel Garcia Sepulveda said in a post on X that some of the injured are stable while others are undergoing surgery. 

”What we experienced happened in just a few seconds: A gale came, a sudden wind, and unfortunately, it collapsed the stage, resulting in a fatal accident,” Álvarez Máynez told Reuters. “I first saw the musicians’ drums, from the group that was going to play, were going to get blown away. When the others noticed, they ran in different directions; some jumped to the sides (of the stage), and I jumped back.”

Footage taken in the aftermath of the accident showed a large number of emergency vehicles at the scene, their lights flashing in the darkness, as injured people were carried away. The area was cordoned off and contained by heavily armed security personnel. 

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he “sends a hug to family members, friends of the victims and political supporters.”

Additionally, Álvarez Máynez later said he was suspending all campaign activities after the collapse but would remain in the state to monitor the situation and the victims. 

“We have to have solidarity, there is nothing that can repair an accident, a damage of this nature, and [people] will not be alone in this tragedy and through the consequences that this tragedy will have in their lives,” Álvarez Máynez said.

Videos of the tragedy showed Álvarez Máynez waving his arm as the crowd chanted his name as he looked up to see a giant screen and metal structure toppling toward him. He ran quickly toward the back of the stage to avoid the falling structure. 

Meanwhile, Álvarez Máynez has been running third in the polls in the presidential race, trailing both front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena Party and opposition coalition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez.

“My condolences and prayers with the families of the dead, and my wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured,” wrote Gálvez in a social media post.

The accident happened as the campaign season has begun ramping up, with many events being held this week and next week as the June 2^nd presidential, state and municipal elections are set to take place.