Nine Mexicans Dead and 50 Injured in Campaign Stage Collapse

New Mexicans died and more than 50 people were injured as a result of the collapse of the stage where the Citizen Movement's presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez was closing his campaign in the municipality of San Pedro Garza Garcia, in the state of Nuevo Leon.

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According to witnesses, heavy rain and intense wind knocked down part of the platform where Maynez and other candidates from the Citizens' Movement party were gathering.

Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia confirmed the deaths and said that the injured were being treated in nearby hospitals, with injuries including bruises and fractures.

Alvarez Maynez said that he was well after being taken to a local hospital. Some members of his campaign team were injured and rushed to hospital for treatment.

The text reads, "She hugs him for protection. He throws her away, abandons her, and runs in a cowardly way to save himself. I would never vote for a guy like Jorge Alvarez Maynez. Period."

Before and after the incident on the stage, strong gusts of wind and electrical storms were hitting the metropolitan area of ​​Monterrey, local outlet 24 Horas reported, adding that this was not the first time that a gale brought down a stage during a proselytizing event.

On May 5, candidate Alvarez Maynez visited the La Huasteca community in the municipality of Santa Catarina, where an air blast caused awnings and metal structures to fall on party staff and supporters.

No injuries were reported in that incident, but emergency services did treat some people at the scene.