AXE Ceremonia Festival in Mexico Suspended After Crane Collapse Leaves Two Dead
The AXE Ceremonia festival, which was taking place this weekend at an ecological park in Mexico City, was suspended by local authorities following the death of two people on Saturday (April 5) when a crane transporting a decorative metal object collapsed.
The cancellation was confirmed on Sunday (April 6) in a message on X by the Miguel Hidalgo mayor’s office, the borough where the event venue is located.
“The teams from the Miguel Hidalgo Government and Legal Affairs, along with the borough’s Civil Protection department and the Administrative Verification Institute of Mexico City, completed the inspection and placed suspension seals at the entrances to AXE Ceremonia in Bicentennial Park,” the mayor’s office stated in its message.
Mexican newspaper El Universal confirmed the identity of the victims, Miguel Angel Rojas, 26, and Berenice Giles, 28, of structure collapse. They were photographers. Music portal Mr. Indie also confirmed this on Sunday, through a statement.
“With deep sadness we say goodbye to our friends and colleagues, Berenice Giles and Miguel Hernandez, who lost their lives while doing their journalistic work. Both were an essential part of Mr. Indie, a media that exists thanks to the passion of people like them,” the document states. “From our space, we want to honor their dedication, their love for music and photography, and their commitment to this project that was also theirs”.
The festival corroborated the incident through an Instagram story. Following the events, the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office announced that it has launched an investigation to determine the corresponding responsibilities.
The festival also confirmed the deaths on their Instagram stories. “With deep sadness, we confirm the passing of the two people who were injured during today’s incident,” AXE Ceremonia published. “We are deeply heartbroken by this loss. We are reaching out to their families to support them during this incredibly difficult time and to provide them with all our care and solidarity. The safety of our community has always been our priority, and we continue, as from the very beginning, to maintain close collaboration and complete transparency with the authorities. We will continue to share official updates about the event through our social media channels.”
The company ECO Live, the festival’s producer, had not responded to a request for information from Billboard Español.
The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. (local time) when a gust of wind shook a metal structure that fell on two people, according to a statement from the Mexico City Government, issued through the Secretariat of Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection.
“The mentioned structure fell on two people who received pre-hospital care at the scene, and were later urgently transported to the hospital, where they unfortunately passed away,” authorities wrote in the statement.
A photojournalist who captured images of the metal structure collapse shortly after it happened told Billboard Español that, following the crash, several attendees near the point where the crane fell tried to move it to assist the victims trapped beneath it. Paramedics and police officers quickly arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area, as attested by Billboard Español.
“Paramedics from the company hired by the event organizers provided medical attention to a man and a woman for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and various fractures at the site of the collapse,” detailed the Mexican Government on Saturday night in an informational statement through the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) Bienestar program.
The Head of Government of Mexico City, Clara Brugada, addressed the incident in a message on X, where she expressed her sorrow over the events and extended her solidarity to the families and friends of the victims. She also thanked the “quick and efficient response” of the relevant personnel “who acted diligently to secure the area and request immediate medical attention.”
“We will closely monitor the corresponding investigations by the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office to determine responsibilities,” added the local leader.
The mayor of Miguel Hidalgo, Mauricio Tabe, also addressed the incident and expressed his solidarity with the families of the victims. “I deeply regret what happened today during a private event at Bicentennial Park. My deepest solidarity goes out to the families of the victim,” the mayor wrote on X.
According to a statement issued by the Miguel Hidalgo mayor’s office, the incident may have been caused by the installation of additional cranes by the organizers, which had not been included in the program submitted to authorities for the pre-festival inspection.
Local authorities stated that, as this was a private event, the project director and the official in charge of Civil Protection, both hired by the festival organizers, will be subject to the investigation initiated by the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office.
Following the crane collapse and the two fatalities it caused, AXE Ceremonia continued on Saturday with headline performances by corridos tumbados superstar Natanael Cano, British pop diva Charli XCX, and South Korean boy band Tomorrow X Together, according to Billboard Español. The festival’s director, Diego Jiménez, had stated in a prior interview that an attendance of 55,000 people was expected on the first day.
On Sunday (April 6), the second day of the festival’s activities, the highly anticipated return of British trip-hop group Massive Attack to Mexico City was expected, along with performances by American rapper Tyler, The Creator, Argentine duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, Argentine-Spanish artist Nathy Peluso, and California-based indie pop band The Marías, among others.
Isabela Raygoza
Billboard
