The governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, Samuel Garcia, confirmed yesterday that at least nine people were killed and half a hundred injured after a platform fell during an election event for the presidential candidate of the opposition Movimento Citizen party. Jorge Alvarez Mines, who was not injured, near Monterrey.
The dead were eight adults and a child, and dozens of wounded were treated in local clinics. Alvarez-Maynes said a wind storm caused the stage to collapse at the event held in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia, an affluent area near the industrial center of Monterrey. A video clip of the incident showed the building suddenly falling into the crowd, prompting politicians to climb onto the stage to take cover and disperse the terrified attendees.
The stage set for the conclusion of the campaign of Lorena Cannavati, candidate of the Ciudadá movement for mayor of San Pedro (Nuevo León), practically collapsed at the conclusion of the election campaign held at the El Obispo baseball stadium, in the western part of the municipality. According to recordings from social media sites, where the political event was broadcast, the accident occurred when strong winds moved the stage. Footage shows candidates Álvarez Mainz and Laureña Cannavati running across the stage as the towers and main stage screen collapse.
“I’ve never experienced anything this sudden,” Alvarez-Mainez told reporters, referring to how fast the wind was before the stage collapsed. The candidate, who returned to the scene after leaving a local hospital, announced the suspension of electoral campaign activities, and that he was waiting for the authorities to investigate the events, and called for transparency in the process.
Álvarez Mines’ campaign coordinator, Laura Ballesteros, was taken to hospital with a broken foot, according to the party, and San Pedro Garcia Garcia mayoral candidate, Loreña Canavati, wrote on social media that she was coordinating with authorities to support those affected and their families.
Strong storms
Interior Minister Luisa Alcalde announced on social media that members of the Mexican National Guard and Army were on site to provide support. Governor Garcia warned residents to stay in their homes in the face of severe storms in the area.
Álvarez Maines is in third place in the Mexican presidential election scheduled for June 2. She is far behind the ruling party’s candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, and Xochitl Galvez, who is in second place and represents a broad opposition coalition.
Galvez and Sheinbaum offered their condolences to the victims’ families in social media posts, and Sheinbaum canceled a rally scheduled for Thursday evening in Monterrey.
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