The stage before

Aftermath

Weather statistics for the day it happened

Looks like the officials running the event ignored warnings about high winds

On Thursday, just hours after Wednesday's collapse, officials said the winds occurred with no warning and that nobody could have predicted them. “This thing yesterday took us by surprise. There wasn't even a storm forecast for the city," said Nuevo Leon state Gov. Samuel Garcia.

That was simply not true. Mexico's National Weather Service had issued a bulletin at 1:13 p.m. — more than six hours before the collapse — warning of gusts of wind up to 43 mph (70 kph) in the area that “could blow down trees and billboards.” Another bulletin at 6:28 p.m. warned of possible tornados in the area.

Jon Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, said outside stages are vulnerable to winds of as little as 35 mph (56 kph). He said radar and other observations suggest the winds at the Monterrey venue probably reached around 50 mph (80 kph) Wednesday, noting high winds “create special safety risks to elevated stages.”

This isn't the first time Mexican officials have failed to take proper notice to weather warnings

Hurricane Otis became the strongest storm in recorded history to strike the Pacific coast of Mexico. The Category 5 hurricane made landfall near Acapulco, where its heavy rain and 265-kilometer-per-hour (kph) winds unleashed massive landslides and knocked out power lines, killing at least 2 dozen people and causing widespread devastation. Officials ignored warnings from the U.S. National Hurricane Center

Recent update on the situation

The governor of Mexico's Nuevo Leon state said at least 121 people were injured and has offered to pay for funeral and hospital costs for the victims. Among the dead is one minor, Governor Samuel García Sepúlveda said in a post on X, adding that some of the injured are stable while others are undergoing surgery.

News release

A strong gust of wind toppled the stage at a campaign rally Wednesday evening in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, killing at least nine people — including a child — and injuring 63, the state's governor said.

The collapse occurred during an event attended by presidential long-shot candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez, who ran to escape. Videos of the collapse on social media showed people screaming, running away and climbing out from under metal polls.

The victims "will not be alone in this tragedy," Máynez told reporters Wednesday night, adding that he had suspended upcoming campaign events.

Afterward, soldiers, police and other officials roamed the grounds of the park where the event took place while many nearby sat stunned and haunted by the tragedy.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he "sends a hug to family members, friends of the victims and political supporters." Condolences poured in from across Mexico, including by other presidential candidates.

In a video message, Nuevo Leon Gov. Samuel Garcia, a leading member of Máynez's Citizens Movement party, asked residents to shelter in their houses for the next two hours.

Structures topple onto stage

Máynez wrote in his social media accounts that he went to a hospital after the accident in the wealthy suburb of San Pedro Garza Garcia, near the city of Monterrey. He said he was in good condition.

"The only important thing at this point is to care for the victims of the accident," he wrote.

Videos of the accident showed Máynez waving his arm as the crowd chanted his name. But then he looked up to see a giant screen and metal structure toppling toward him. He ran rapidly toward the back of the stage to avoid the falling structure, which appeared to consist of relatively light framework pieces as well as what appeared to be a screen with the party's logo and theater-style lights.

Máynez has been running third in polls in the presidential race, trailing both front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena Party and opposition coalition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez. Both sent their condolences, and Sheinbaum cancelled a campaign event in nearby Monterrey the next day "in solidarity" with victims and their loved ones.

"My condolences and prayers with the families of the dead, and my wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured," wrote Gálvez in a social media post.

The accident happened at the height of campaign season, with many events held this week and next in anticipation of the June 2 presidential, state and municipal elections.

The campaign has so far been plagued by the killings of about two dozen candidates for local offices. But it had not been marred by campaign accidents.