An 18-year-old Mexican woman died after being thrown from a carnival attraction in Baja California Sur, with cellphone footage capturing the moment she fell as the ride reached high speed.
Gabriela Rodriguez Tezoco was fatally injured Tuesday night at a festival in Los Cabos, according to local outlet Expreso.
Video recorded by another passenger shows Tezoco falling from “The Pendulum,” a spinning attraction operating at the Cabo San Lucas Traditional Festivals.
Screams can be heard from riders as she was ejected from the ride, which continued rotating at speed after the fall.
Paramedics treated Tezoco at the scene before taking her to a nearby hospital. She died from her injuries early Wednesday morning.
“It is with deep sorrow that we report that the young woman who was injured in the incident that occurred in the amusement park area of the Cabo San Lucas Traditional Festivals, and who was immediately transferred to receive medical attention, lost her life despite the efforts of the health personnel,” the Los Cabos City Council said in a social media statement.
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Officials shut down “The Pendulum” after the accident as authorities began safety inspections of the ride and the festival’s other attractions, Los Cabos Mayor Christian Agundez told local reporters.
“Today, with the same spirit with which we come together to celebrate, we must come together to support Gabriela’s family. It could have been any one of us. You are not alone,” Agundez said during a festival concert appearance.
The Baja California Sur State Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday that an investigation is underway to establish what caused the accident and determine whether anyone may be held responsible.
No arrests had been announced, and officials had not publicly identified anyone involved in operating the attraction.
Tezoco had graduated earlier this summer from the Baja California Sur College of Baccalaureate Studies.
“May your smile remain alive in our memory and may your memory always be a light that guides us,” the school wrote in a tribute.
