Mexico City’s AXE Ceremonia Canceled After Crane Collapse Kills 2 Photographers

The final day of Mexico City’s AXE Ceremonia was canceled by local authorities after a mobile elevating work platform carrying decorative material collapsed and killed two people on April 5.

The incident at Parque Bicentenario, a 110-acre park in the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City with multiple areas capable of hosting music festivals, occurred at around 5 p.m. when a gust of wind caused the platform carrying what organizers called a “decorative piece” to collapse, according to Mexican newspaper El Universal.

The victims were identified as Berenice Giles, 28, and Miguel Hernández, 26, photographers who worked for a Spanish-language music site called Mr. Indie. They were rushed to Doctor Ruben Leñero General Hospital but arrived without any vital signs. The country’s social security institute and public health service known as IMSS-Bienestar told the Associated Press that the two victims suffered “head trauma” and “different fractures.”

“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the death of two people who were injured during the incident that occurred today,” AXE Ceremonia posted on its Instagram page on the evening of April 5. “This loss hurts us immensely. … The safety of our community has always been our priority, and we maintain, as from the beginning, close collaboration and total openness with the authorities.”

Despite the incident, the show carried on that Saturday night with Charli XCX, Natanael Cano, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Parcels taking the stage, a controversial decision that has many music fans in Mexico City calling for justice for Giles and Hernández.

Charli XCX was made aware of the deaths and took to Instagram to write, “My heart is with the families and friends of Miguel and Berenice.”

Following an initial investigation by local authorities, AXE Ceremonia, which entertainment company ECO Live produces, announced Sunday morning the cancelation of Day 2 of the festival, which was supposed to be headlined by Tyler, The Creator, Massive Attack and Gesaffelstein. They assured those who bought tickets for the final day via Ticketmaster that they would be refunded.

Mexico City’s Secretariat of Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection agency released a statement on April 5 that said the incident was a “result of poor supervision of preventative measures by the organizers” and the mayor’s office of Miguel Hidalgo.

Mauricio Tabe, mayor of Miguel Hidalgo, pushed back against the agency’s accusation and said that there was no crane on-site on Friday, April 4, when local officials inspected Parque Bicentenario.

“It was a last-minute decision by the private organizers to install them during Saturday’s concert,” the statement from the mayor’s office read.

All parties involved, including the festival organizer and venue, expressed their condolences on social media and said they are cooperating with local authorities as they continue to investigate the matter.

Mr. Indie confirmed the victims’ names and their association with the online publication via Instagram, honoring “their devotion, their love for music and photography, and their commitment to this project that was also theirs.”

Leading up to the event, AXE Ceremonia stated on its social media page that the event was 99% sold out. Last year’s edition of the two-day festival sold out, grossing $7,933,319 off 57,917 tickets sold across two days, according to Pollstar Boxoffice reports.