A stage collapsed during a political rally in northern Mexico on Wednesday night, resulting in at least nine deaths and 60 injuries, as confirmed by the state’s governor. The collapse occurred in San Pedro Garza Garcia, a suburb of Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, where Jorge Alvarez Menezes, a progressive candidate for the Citizens’ Movement party, was campaigning.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on social media that the stage collapsed due to strong winds. Videos shared online showed that when the candidates were raising slogans on the stage, the wind suddenly picked up. The lighting truss fell, forcing people to flee the stage to avoid injury, while others in the crowd ran away in panic.
Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia reported casualties and injuries early Thursday, noting that one of the victims was a child. Many of the injured were taken to hospitals with serious injuries. The stage was set up on the baseball field for a campaign event in support of Lorenia Canavati, the Citizens’ Movement’s candidate for the city’s mayoral election.
Jorge Alvarez Menezes, who suffered no injuries, told reporters he first noticed the force of the wind when it nearly blew away the band’s drum set. As the stage started collapsing, he and others managed to jump off the stage.
“” “It is terrible that those who came to enjoy a day of celebration and joy with us and the band are now victims of this tragedy,” “said Alvarez Menezes.””
Alvarez Menezes also mentioned on social media that he was in contact with state authorities to understand the cause of the collapse. Lorenia Canavati said her team was working with the authorities to assist the victims.
The Citizens’ Movement party cancelled all of its candidates’ events scheduled for Thursday after the stage collapsed due to “hurricane-like winds.”
Mexico’s meteorological service had predicted winds of up to 43 mph in the northeast and possible tornadoes in Nuevo Leon and neighboring states. Governor Garcia advised residents to avoid the storm, noting that heavy rain and strong winds are expected for the next two hours.
Mexico’s general election, including the presidency and more than 20,000 local, state and congressional posts, is scheduled for June 2. The citizens’ movement is represented by Alvarez Menezes, who positions himself as a third-party alternative to Claudia Sheinbaum. The coalition of the ruling Morena party and the opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez. The new president will replace Lopez Obrador, who is constitutionally barred from becoming president again.
This election season in Mexico has been marred by violence, with several candidates killed amid cartel-related unrest. However, no violence was reported at Wednesday’s campaign event.
This article was originally published on USA TAAZA TIME