Mexico Election Rally Records Many Casualties

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

The incident occurred as centre-left presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez was delivering a speech in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia, near Monterrey.

Mr Maynez was uninjured in the collapse and was seen speaking to supporters following the incident. Several members of his team had been hurt, he said.

The collapse was caused by a sudden gust of wind, Mr Maynez said in a post on X.

Footage has emerged apparently showing the moment the lighting structure collapsed as a number of people were on the stage.

Video posted on social media showed Mr Maynez waving to his supporters and then running to the back of the stage for safety as he realised part of the structure was toppling over.

People can also be heard screaming and running from the stage.

”First I saw the musicians’ drums, from the group that was going to play, were going to get blown away,” Mr Maynez said.

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

The sudden gust of wind came without forewarning, Mr Maynez said, describing it as an “atypical [weather] event.”

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

Emergency services took the injured to various nearby hospitals
The victims were eight adults and one child, State Governor Samuel Garcia said.

Three of those injured required surgery, he added, following a visit to a local hospital.

BBC/Shakirat Sadiq