MEXICO CITY — Five people died on Wednesday evening (May 22) in the northern Mexican state Nuevo Leon after a stage collapsed at a campaign event for the Citizens' Movement party, the state's governor said.
Some 50 people were injured, Governor Samuel Garcia told reporters, while the director of Mexico's social security institute reported on social media that dozens were being treated at local clinics.
Jorge Alvarez Maynez, the presidential candidate for the centrist Citizens' Movement party, said on social media that a gust of wind caused the stage to collapse at the event in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia, a wealthy enclave near the industrial hub of Monterrey.
Alvarez Maynez said he was "OK" after being taken to a local hospital, but that members of his team were hurt and he was suspending his campaign activities.
In a video shared to social media on Wednesday evening, Governor Garcia warned residents to stay indoors amid strong thunderstorms in the area, citing the weather as contributing to the accident.
Alvarez Maynez is polling in third place in Mexico's presidential election set for June 2. He is trailing far behind ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum and second-place Xochitl Galvez, who represents a broad opposition coalition.
Galvez offered condolences for the families of the victims in a post on social media, while expressing solidarity with her competitor Maynez.
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