At least five dead as stage collapses at Mexico rally

At least five people have been killed and 15 more injured after a stage collapsed at an election campaign 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.

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

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

Video posted to social media showed Mr Maynez waving to his supporters and then running for safety as part of the structure toppled over.

State Governor Samuel Garcia urged local residents to stay indoors because of thunderstorms and strong winds in the area.

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

Mr Maynez is the candidate of the Citizens’ Movement party and is currently trailing in third place in national polls.

In a post to X, he said that he was uninjured in the collapse, but that several members of his team had been hurt. He added that he was returning to the scene.

Source BBC