A crowd crush at a Mexican bullfighting arena killed 19 people and injured 35 when two audiences collided in a shared tunnel.
Key Facts
- Date
- 31 January 1965
- Deaths
- 19 people
- Injured
- 35 people
- Time of incident
- Approximately 8:30 p.m.
- Shows scheduled that day
- 2 (5:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.)
- Event type
- Mexican popular music concert
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Two separate shows were scheduled at Plaza de toros El Progreso on the same evening. As the first show ended at approximately 8:30 p.m., the outgoing crowd from the evening performance and the incoming crowd for the night show converged simultaneously at the venue's shared tunnel and crew ramp, creating dangerous bidirectional congestion.
The two crowds collided head-on within the narrow tunnel and ramp area. People were knocked down and trampled as the pressure of the opposing crowds prevented any orderly movement. The crush resulted in individuals being run over by those behind them who could not stop in the confined space.
Nineteen people were killed and 35 others were injured as a direct result of the crush. The disaster stands as one of the deadliest crowd crush incidents at a Mexican entertainment venue and highlighted the hazards of scheduling multiple large-audience events without adequate crowd management between sessions.