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By Jordan King
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At least nine people, including one child, have died after a stage collapsed at an election campaign rally in Mexico.
Presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Máynez was giving a speech to supporters in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia, in the northern state of Nuevo León, when the incident took place on Wednesday.
Videos on social media show the moment the lighting structure and canopy above the stage suddenly collapsed amid strong winds. People could be heard screaming as they ran away, while others were forced to climb from under the debris.
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State Governor Samuel Garcia updated the death toll on Thursday, writing on X, formerly Twitter: "I have just visited Clinic 7 and I regret to report that so far the number of people who died in the accident amounts to 8 adults and 1 minor. The injured who are in this clinic are now stable.
"Now I head to Clinic 21 where three people are in surgery. From there I will go to the University Hospital to do the corresponding evaluations. I will continue to inform."
He later posted: "I ask God for a lot of strength for the families of the deceased and injured. We are with you."
Dozens of people were injured in the accident, with politicians and officials reporting more than 50.
Máynez, a center-left candidate, said it was a "gust of wind" that collapsed the stage. He was taken to San José hospital but posted on X that he was fine.
He said: "I am in communication with state authorities to follow up on what happened. The only important thing right now is to care for the victims of the accident."
Garcia warned people to stay indoors during the "storms and atypical winds."
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López said that he "regrets the accident." He wrote: "I hug family members, friends of the victims and supporters of that organization."
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The stage had been erected on a baseball field for the campaign event.
Máynez is representing the Citizens' Movement party in this year's general election. He is polling behind the former Mexico City mayor and ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum, who is running for the left-wing National Regeneration Movement (MORENA).
The center-right opposition coalition, led by rival Xochitl Galvez, is also ahead of Máynez, but his support is growing. This is all according to a poll conducted by consulting firm Mitofsky for the newspaper El Economista.
Mexico goes to the ballot box on June 2, when people will vote for the presidency as well as local and state leadership.
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