Two people have died in an accident at Sao Paulo’s stadium that is due to host the opening ceremony of the 2014 Football World Cup, police say.
A senior local fire official said crews were called to the Arena Corinthians after reports of a collapsed crane.
It fell on top of a metal structure, destroying parts of a stand.
The arena was due to be completed at the end of December to meet a Fifa deadline. Brazil has admitted it is struggling to have all 12 venues ready.
‘Round-the-clock’ warning
Brazilian police say at least two people were killed and a number injured in Wednesday’s accident.
Earlier reports quoted fire officials as saying that three people died.
Reports in local media say there was a big crash as the structure collapsed, making construction workers dash. Most of the workers were said to be away during their lunch breaks.
TV footage later showed the huge metal structure buckled on top of the stadium, which is also known as Itaquerao.
Part of the stand – believed to be in the southern sector – was damaged. A LED panel outside the venue was also hit.
Corinthians, the club that will move into the new stadium, said in a short statement that it “deeply regrets the accident”.
Fifa President Sepp Blatter said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic deaths”.
Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke said: “Extremely shocked by the news from Sao Paulo. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of this accident.”
The venue is being built by Brazil’s Odebrecht company, who recently said the arena was about 94% ready.
This is the third accident that caused deaths in World Cup stadiums in Brazil, with two other construction workers killed over the past two years.
Six of Brazil’s stadiums – including Itaquerao – are not yet ready for the World Cup next summer.
Construction problems and public protests about the money being spent have delayed the preparations, the BBC’s Wyre Davies in Rio de Janeiro reports.
On Tuesday, Danny Jordaan, who was behind South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 World Cup, said Brazil might have to start round-the-clock construction work if it was to get things ready for the tournament.
Source: BBC
