In tragic news, two actors, Raymundo Gurdano and Juan Francisco Aguilar, from Netflix's original series The Chosen One died on the spot, while six others were injured in a road accident in Mexico when the vehicle they were traveling in en route to the airport crashed and flipped over. Production on the show has been suspended for the time being as the team and the family members are grieving the big loss. An investigation is reportedly underway with Netflix issuing a statement calling the fatal van crash on June 16 featuring the cast and crew members of The Chosen One an "unfortunate accident." Netflix said in a statement to Deadline, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic accident that took the lives of Ray Garduño and Juan Francisco González. Our thoughts are with their loved ones and with those injured during this unfortunate accident."
Concerns have been raised by friends of the two deceased actors regarding the working conditions among whom included novelist Rick Zazueta, who claimed on Facebook on June 18 in a lengthy post that the cast of The Chosen One had been "been complaining openly" about issues that pertained to logistics and transportation. He alleged that the car that was used to transport the cast and the crew had "easily identifiable signs of danger" such as worn-out tires, noisy brakes, a loose steering wheel, and defective seat belts. He also stated in his post that drivers were made to overwork and travel plans made "without experienced local knowledge of the area" led to the fatal crash. "[Two lives] is a lot of blood to pay for somebody else’s negligence," he wrote.
Redrum, the production house behind The Chosen One, issued a statement to Deadline maintaining that necessary precautions were in place during the shooting. "All of us on the production of The Chosen One are shocked by the tragic accident that occurred last Thursday, while on transit from Santa Rosalía, Baja California, to the local airport," the statement read. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of our colleagues Ray Garduño and Juan Francisco González and are closely supporting all those affected by this unspeakable tragedy. Redrum has been cooperating with local authorities and initial reports and accounts from witnesses indicate that all safety protocols were in place and this was an unfortunate accident," it further stated.