Nine dead and 70 injured left the collapse of a stage during a rally in which the presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez participated on Wednesday Máynez in northern Mexico.
The gusts knocked down metal structures, so dozens of people were trapped at that moment and others suffered injuries.
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Álvarez Máynez, 38 years old and third in voting intentions ahead of the June 2 elections, and his companions managed to get to safety after running quickly.
The accident occurred at night in the town of San Pedro Garza, part of the metropolitan area of the industrial city of Monterrey (Nuevo León). The event closed the campaign of the Citizen Movement candidate for mayor of San Pedro, Lorenia Canavati, who was accompanied by Álvarez Máynez. Candidates for senators and deputies from the same party also participated.
Governor García explained that Strong winds knocked down the stage, on a night in which thunderstorms and heavy rain were recorded.
“The death of 4 people is reported at the scene and 3 more in clinic 7 and 1 in Muguerza and 1 in H. Universitario,” the agency stated.
They report the collapse of the temple at a campaign event for Lorenia Canavati, candidate for mayor of San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, where Jorge Álvarez Máynez was present @AlvarezMaynez
This is the moment when the candidate ran… pic.twitter.com/bQD1Ij1mRx
— Salvador Zaragoza Andrade (@SalvadorZA) May 23, 2024
The testimonies of those affected: ‘Everyone running and looking for their relatives’
According to sources consulted by the Mexican newspaper El Universal, the presidential candidate of Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) was about to issue a message when the awning and part of the temple collapsed on several families who came to enjoy the concert by Bronco, the musical group that was going to entertain the rally.
In the videos you can see the candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez on stage, when a screen that was behind him was moved by the wind. The candidate notices the fact, so he manages to run behind the stage and avoid the screen that fell.
Suddenly it collapsed, hit me on the head and I fainted, the rest was pure hysteria
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The Mexican newspaper El Milenio assured that several of the attendees were saved because there was a drizzle before the start of the event. Some decided to leave to avoid getting wet or take shelter in tents located on the banks, so they were saved by not being close to the stage.
One of the attendees told the aforementioned media that first they heard a roar and then they lost track of what had happened. “The wind started, a roar was heard, we thought it was lightning and everything fell down. We didn’t see anything anymore. Well yes, panic, fear, nerves,” said the witness.
Another of those present told El Milenio that they were happy celebrating at the rally when suddenly the stage fell on them. “We were very happy, but then the water and the air came and everything came crashing down. We ran but somehow the structure fell on us, my husband went to the clinic. His back hurt a lot, I just had a blow to the head but I’m fine,” he said.
“The stage fell, first forward and then to the right, leaving dozens of people under the twisted iron, who were already screaming, looking for their families. “The fall of the stage was impressive, everyone running and looking for their families,” he claimed.
And he added: “The cloud of dust was present. Nobody was clear about what happened, but people began to run towards the street, stepping on muddy areas and avoiding the attendees who were looking for their families or those who, on the floor, and injured or in crisis, they waited for help.
“San Pedro Garza García”:
Because the stage where the campaign event of Lorenia Canavati, candidate for mayor of San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, where Jorge Álvarez Máynez was present, collapsed. pic.twitter.com/czzAP0ZmdV—Why is it a Trend? (@porktendencia) May 23, 2024
The Citizen Movement deputy, Javier González Alcántara, told the Televisa network that rescuers evacuated the injured who were under the temple, in the middle of a broad operation. “We were able to remove all the people who were under the stage and take the injured to the hospitals,” he said.
“We express our solidarity with the political organization, with the Citizen Movement, its leaders, its candidates, its militants, we know that they are not to blame, they do their acts, like everyone else, now that there are campaigns. In any case, the authority has to investigate,” declared the president.
Although he asked for the intervention of “the competent authority,” the Mexican president clarified in his morning conference that, “rather than talking about it right now, we must continue caring for the injured and saving lives.”
#LAST MINUTE | They report the collapse of the temple at a campaign event for Lorenia Canavati, candidate for mayor of San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, where Jorge Álvarez Máynez was present pic.twitter.com/6Xb1OHa9A8
— Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) May 23, 2024
“I hope everything is well with the candidates attending the Citizen Movement event in Nuevo León,” wrote Claudia Sheinbaum, candidate of the left-wing ruling party and a wide favorite to win the presidency, in X.
“With all my heart I hope that there are no serious injuries due to what happened at the Citizen Movement event in Nuevo León,” said center-right opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez on the same platform.
In total, just over 20,000 positions are in dispute, in a campaign marked by the violence of organized crime, with a balance of 30 candidates murdered since last September 23 when the electoral process began, according to the civil organization Data Cívica.
*With AFP and El Universal (GDA)
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