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Nine people were killed and a presidential candidate was briefly taken to hospital when a stage collapsed in high winds at a campaign rally in Mexico on Wednesday.
Candidate Jorge Alvarez Minez said he was not injured in the incident, which happened during a campaign event in the northeastern city of San Pedro Garza Garcia.
The governor of Mexico’s Nuevo Leon state said at least 121 people were injured and offered to cover funeral and hospital costs for the victims. Governor Samuel García Sepulveda said in a post on X that the dead included one minor, some of the injured were in stable condition, and others were undergoing surgery. He added that
“What we experienced happened in a matter of seconds. There was a strong wind, a sudden gust of wind and unfortunately the stage collapsed and a fatal accident occurred,” Alvarez-Mines told Reuters.
“I first saw the drums of a musician from a group that was scheduled to perform being blown away. When the others noticed, they ran in different directions. Some people jumped off to the side (of the stage), but I jumped out of the way.”
Videos shared on social media showed the moment the stage collapsed due to strong gusts of wind. Alvarez Mines and his team can be seen running and taking cover as structures, including a large video screen, fall onto the stage and part of the seating area.
Footage taken after the crash showed numerous emergency vehicles gathering at the scene, lights flashing as they removed the injured in the darkness. The area was cordoned off and guarded by heavily armed guards.
Alberto López/Associated Press
Security forces stand around a stage that was toppled by a gust of wind during an event attended by presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez Maynez in San Pedro Garza García on May 22, 2024.
Nearby observations from Monterrey indicated thunderstorms were present, bringing strong winds of at least 40–50 kilometers per hour (about 25–30 miles per hour). The stage location may have been affected by a gust front, which caused wind gusts from the nearby thunderstorms to suddenly intensify and change direction.
Álvarez Mines later said he would suspend all campaign activities after the collapse but would remain in the state to monitor the situation and casualties.
“We must come together, nothing can repair an accident or damage like this. [people] They are not the only ones affected by this tragedy and will experience the impact this tragedy has had on their lives,” said Alvarez Mines.
The 38-year-old congressman heads the center-left Citizen Movement party and was nominated in January as the party’s candidate after Garcia Sepulveda withdrew, forcing him to return to his job as governor after political turmoil under his interim successor made a presidential campaign impossible.
Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and expressed support for the civil movement at his daily press conference.
“We know they are not responsible,” he said, calling on authorities to investigate.
Mexico is heading for its biggest election in history on June 2 but has been thrown into turmoil by a surge in political violence and assassinations.
The presidential election is seen as a one-on-one battle between former Mexican mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, a close ally of Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador, and former senator Xochitl Gálvez, who represents the opposition coalition.
Mexico is almost certain to elect its first female president in June, as the two women have wide leads in opinion polls.
An estimated 70,000 candidates ran for more than 20,000 positions, including presidency and nine state gubernatorial positions.
At least 28 candidates have been attacked and 16 have been killed so far this year, according to data from the research group Data Civica through April 1, the bloodiest in Mexico’s history. It is expected to be better than the slow election cycle.
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Daniel Becerril/Reuters
Citizen Movement Party presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Mainez photographed at the scene of the crash in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico.
Alvarez Mines told reporters that civil defense teams had been checking the “structure of the set” before the event but organisers had been surprised by the intensity of the wind gusts.
“The weather conditions were very abnormal. The rain didn’t even last five minutes… it wasn’t even a storm. What happened was really abnormal,” he said.
The presidential candidate said the incident would be investigated.
Governor Garcia Sepulveda warned of further strong winds, thunderstorms and rain and urged area residents to stay indoors.
