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Teen Dies After Falling From Moving Carnival Ride in Los Cabos
ReTeen Dies After Falling From Moving Carnival Ride in Los Cabos
An 18-year-old woman was ejected from a moving carnival ride at the Cabo San Lucas Traditional Fiestas and later died, prompting a criminal investigation and the removal of the city's civil protection chief.
An 18-year-old woman died after falling from a moving amusement ride at a traditional festival in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, an accident that has triggered a criminal investigation and the removal of the city's civil protection chief. Gabriela Rodríguez Tezoco was riding an attraction known as «El Péndulo» — «The Pendulum» — at the Cabo San Lucas Traditional Fiestas when she was ejected from her seat while the machine was operating, according to local reports.
Emergency crews, including state investigators and municipal police, rushed to the scene to administer first aid. Rodríguez Tezoco was taken by ambulance to a local hospital but died shortly after arriving. The Los Cabos city council confirmed the death in a statement, saying the young woman had been injured in the mechanical attractions area of the festival and was immediately transferred for medical care. «It is with deep sorrow that we announce that the young woman who was injured in the incident... lost her life despite the efforts of the health personnel,» the council said.
The fallout was swift. Local officials announced the removal of the head of the Municipal Directorate of Civil Protection and Risk Management, and an interim director was installed to ensure investigators have full access to the department's files, safety protocols and operational permits. The Baja California Sur State Attorney General's Office has opened a formal probe to determine liability, and forensic experts in engineering and architecture are examining the ride to verify whether it met safety standards.
As of the middle of the week, authorities had not named the ride's operators or made any arrests. Los Cabos Mayor Christian Agúndez ordered the total suspension of «El Péndulo» and a preventative safety inspection of all other attractions at the fairground. Speaking to a concert crowd at the festival later that evening, Agúndez urged the community to support the grieving family and pledged municipal assistance. «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,» the mayor said.
Rodríguez Tezoco was a member of the 2026 high school graduating class, according to reports. The case has renewed attention on carnival ride safety and oversight at public festivals, where temporary attractions operate under municipal permits and inspection regimes. The removal of the civil protection chief and the engineering review of the ride signal that authorities are treating the accident as a potential failure of regulatory compliance as well as a criminal matter.
The investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been announced. The mayor's office, Baja California Sur Public Security and the Los Cabos Transparency Office did not immediately provide additional details.
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