Mexico: Nine dead – including a child – and 50 injured after stage collapses at presidential campaign rally
Nine people – including a child – have been killed and another 50 injured after a stage collapsed during a presidential campaign rally in Mexico.
Video footage of the collapse posted on social media showed people screaming, running away and climbing out from under metal polls at the event for presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez in the northern state of Nuevo Leon.
Mr Maynez, who represents the centrist Citizens’ Movement party, said he was taken to hospital in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia for treatment but is “okay” and suspending campaign activities.
“The only important thing at this point is to care for the victims of the accident,” he wrote on social media.
Footage shared online showed Mr Maynez waving to the crowd as supporters chanted his name, before he looked up to see a giant screen and metal structure toppling towards him.
He ran to the back of the stage to avoid the falling structure.
The city’s mayor Miguel Trevino said “there are people reported trapped”.
Governor Samuel Garcia confirmed on social media that eight adults and a child had died.
He said “strong winds blew down a stage at a campaign” and warned residents to stay indoors amid thunderstorms in the area – citing the weather as contributing to the incident.
“I ask God for a lot of strength for the families of the deceased and injured. We are with you,” he added.
People were reportedly trapped under the structure. Pic: Reuters
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who can’t run in the 2 June election, said he “sends a hug to family members, friends of the victims and political supporters”. Mexican presidents cannot seek re-election and serve only one six-year term.
Condolences poured in from across Mexico, including from other presidential candidates.
Around 50 people at the rally were injured. Pic: Reuters
Mr Maynez is polling in third place, trailing behind ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum and second-place Xochitl Galvez, who represents a broad opposition coalition.
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Ms Galvez offered condolences for the families of the victims in a post on social media, while expressing solidarity with her competitor Mr Maynez.
The presidential campaign has so far been plagued by the killings of about two dozen candidates for local offices, but it has not been marred by rally accidents.
World
Children killed in Ukrainian strikes on Sevastopol, Russian officials say, amid reports of panic on Crimean beach
At least six people have died and more than 100 have been wounded in Ukrainian drone and missile attacks, according to Russian authorities.
Five people, including two children, were killed by falling debris when five Ukrainian missiles were shot down in the port city of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea, said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city’s Moscow-installed governor.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said 124 people were wounded, citing the health ministry.
Video shown on Russian state TV captures what sounds like explosions, as people can be seen running for cover on a beach in Sevastopol.
Elsewhere, one person was killed and three were injured in Russia’s Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, when three Ukrainian drones attacked the city of Grayvoron, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Russia’s defence ministry said air defence forces had shot down 33 Ukrainian drones over the country’s western Bryansk, Smolensk, Lipetsk and Tula regions. No casualties or damage were reported.
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Ukraine war: Deadly Russian strike in Kharkiv
Russian bombardment of Kharkiv continues
Meanwhile, the second day of Russia’s aerial bombardment of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv has killed at least one person and injured 10, according to local officials.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the city was attacked by a guided bomb and around half of Kharkiv was without electricity because of the strike.
It came after Russia struck Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon with four aerial bombs, hitting a five-storey residential building and killing three people.
Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said 41 people were still being treated for their injuries on Sunday.
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The site of a Russian air strike in Kharkiv. Pics: Reuters
Zelenskyy calls for bolstered air defences
In a video address following Saturday’s attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s partners to bolster its air defences.
“Modern air defence systems for Ukraine – such as Patriots, accelerated training of our pilots for F-16s, and most importantly, sufficient range for our weapons – are truly necessary,” he said.
Meanwhile, two people have been injured by falling debris when two Russian missiles were shot down over the Kyiv region overnight, Ukraine’s air force commander Mykola Oleschuk said.
Six police officers have been killed and 12 have been wounded after gunmen opened fire in a series of shootings in Russia’s Dagestan region, its interior ministry says.
The attacks targeted a synagogue and an Orthodox church in Derbent as well as a police post in Makhachkala.
A priest was also killed in the attacks, according to reports.
Two of the gunmen have reportedly been shot dead.
A counter-terrorist operation is ongoing to search for gunmen in Makhachkala and Derbent, Russia’s national anti-terrorist committee said in a statement.
“Unidentified people fired at a synagogue and a church with automatic weapons,” Reuters reported the interior ministry said.
The synagogue and church were both set on fire, added the ministry.
Derbent is home to an ancient Jewish community in the South Caucasus and a UNESCO world heritage site.
The attackers then reportedly fled in a car.
There was later an exchange of gunfire at a police post in Makhachkala, about 125km (75 miles) to the north along the Caspian Sea coast, Reuters added.
Dagestan is a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia.
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A father was stopped by police as he tried to drown two small children at a beach in the US, authorities have said.
An officer had been on patrol in the city of West Haven, Connecticut, when he saw a Nissan SUV parked on the beach at around 2.30am local time (7.30am UK time) on Saturday, police said.
The officer then approached the vehicle and heard “significant screaming taking place from the water”, the force added.
West Haven Police Department said that as the officer “continued towards this commotion, it was apparent an adult male and two small children were in the water”.
“As the officer entered the water the adult male continued to drift further away with the children all while screaming at the responding officers to ‘stay back’,” the force added.
Police said it became “obvious at this point” that the man was “deliberately drowning his children”.
Responding officers ended up being around 100 yards from the shore as they approached the man and the children.
The first officer to arrive was able to get to the youngsters and other officers helped take them to shore.
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Lifesaving measures were provided to the children and they were taken to a hospital where they remained in intensive care on Saturday, according to police.
The father was in custody on Saturday.
“It is without a doubt the swift response by our patrol officers saved the lives of these children,” police said in the statement.
The incident remains under investigation.
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