Two die after crane collapses at World Cup stadium
Arena in Sao Paulo, which will host opening match of tournament, was almost complete before accident
A crane collapsed on Wednesday at the construction site of a future World Cup soccer stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, killing at least two people and apparently causing damage to the structure.
The stadium, which was scheduled to be finished in the next month or so, is to be the site of the opening game and five other matches when Brazil hosts the next year soccer World Cup in June and July.
A spokeswoman for the Sao Paulo state military police confirmed the deaths.
Brazil has struggled to deliver stadiums, public transportation improvements and other World Cup-related projects within the timelines specified by the sport’s world governing body Fifa.
Some construction sites, such as a new terminal at Sao Paulo’s international airport, are being built around the clock seven days a week to try to finish them before the tournament.
The Sao Paulo stadium, formally called Arena Corinthians but known locally as “Itaquerao”, is being built by Brazilian industrial conglomerate Odebrecht, which recently said the stadium was 94 per cent complete.