Internet users alarmed the public by sharing videos and photographs that appeared to show the fall of the Angel of Independence in Mexico City. The city's Film Commission issued a statement to clarify the situation at the roundabout where the monument is located.
In a video posted by José Manuel Cravioto, director and screenwriter, the alleged collapse of the Angel of Independence was debunked. Cravioto explained that they were filming a sequence that recreated the collapse of the monument in 1957 due to an earthquake. In the images, the replica of the Angel is seen on the ground, but then the camera focuses on the real statue intact.
Indeed, on July 28, 1957, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused the fall of the Angel of Independence. Authorities reported that the images circulating on social media correspond to scenes from the movie "The Man of the Crowd," where the collapse of the monument is recreated.
Witnesses and drivers passing by the roundabout captured video of the statue of the angel apparently collapsed on the ground, causing confusion among internet users. The replica was restored after 14 months of work following the original earthquake.
The informative page Infodemia also debunked the fall of the Angel of Independence and clarified that it was a cinematic recreation. In summary, there was no new incident with the monument and the viral video corresponds to a scene from a film in production.
