SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Two workers were seriously injured this week while working on a giant Catrina for the Día de los Muertos festival coming up in Tijuana next week.
The workers, according to Tijuana police, were welders who jumped from their perch when they saw that a fire had accidentally started next to them.
They reportedly fell about 30 feet.
Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero told reporters on Thursday that the city will pay for the medical bills incurred by the injured workers.
“They are not city employees, they were outside contractors. Nevertheless, and even though they are not city workers, we will be responsible,” she said.
Due to the accident, Montserrat stated the giant statue project would be “abandoned.”
“It’s a regrettable incident, we’ll prepare for the festivities throughout the city but it will not include the giant Catrina.”
The statue being installed would have been 65 feet in height when finished.
Catrinas are skeletal figurines that are decorated, often dressed in fancy hats and dresses.
They are also referred to as “dapper skeletons” or “elegant skulls.”
The Día de Los Muertos, Day of the Dead, is a tradition celebrated throughout Mexico and other Latin American countries Nov. 1-2.
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