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Child among nine dead when stage collapses at presidential election rally in Mexico

Gillberg
Child among nine dead when stage collapses at presidential election rally in Mexico

image description, Presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez held a rally at that time

At least nine people were killed, including a child, and about 50 were injured after part of a stage collapsed at an election rally in Mexico’s northern state of Nuevo León, the local governor said.

The incident occurred as center-left presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez gave a speech in the town of San Pedro Garza Garcia, near Monterrey.

Mr Maynez was unharmed in the collapse and was seen speaking to his supporters after the incident. Several members of his team were injured, he said.

Footage has emerged that appears to show the moment the lighting structure collapsed while there were several people on stage.

In a video posted on social media, Mr. Maynez was seen waving to his supporters and then running to the back of the stage for safety when he realized part of the structure was tipping over.

You can also hear people screaming and running from the stage.

“First I saw that the drums of the musicians of the group that wanted to play were going to be blown away,” Mr. Maynez said.

“When the others noticed, they ran in different directions; some jumped to the side and I jumped back,” he added.

The sudden gust of wind came without warning, said Mr Maynez, describing it as an “atypical (weather) event”.

“What we experienced happened in just a few seconds: a storm came, a sudden wind, and unfortunately the stage collapsed, resulting in a fatal accident,” he told reporters at the scene.

The victims were eight adults and one child, said Gov. Samuel Garcia.

Three of the injured required surgery, he added after a visit to a local hospital.

In a social media post, Mr Garcia urged residents to stay indoors due to thunderstorms and strong winds in the area.

“If you can, avoid going out because there are storms and atypical winds. I will keep you updated,” he wrote on X.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he sent “a hug to the families, friends of the victims and political supporters.”

Image description, Rescue workers took the injured to various surrounding hospitals

Maynez, 38, is the candidate of the Citizens’ Movement party and is currently in third place in national polls behind Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena party and Xóchitl Gálvez of the opposition coalition.

Mr. Garcia was the original candidate of the Citizens’ Movement Party, but nominated his campaign coordinator, Mr. Maynez, instead after a dispute over who would step in for governor during his campaign. Mexican law requires public officials to resign when they run for office.

As a result, Mr. Maynez entered the presidential race in January — a relatively late start compared to Ms. Sheinbaum and Ms. Gálvez’s applications in September.

Due to his previous role as campaign coordinator, he is relatively unknown compared to the two leading candidates.

Mr. Maynez announced he would cancel upcoming campaign events, and Ms. Sheinbaum said she had canceled an appearance in nearby Monterrey on Thursday.

“My condolences and prayers go out to the families of the dead and I wish a speedy recovery to all those injured,” Ms. Gálvez wrote on social media.

The primary elections, scheduled to take place on June 2, were among the deadliest in Mexican history.

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