By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – In the first serious infrastructure tragedy during the World Cup, at least two people have been killed and several more injured after part of an unfinished overpass collapsed on to vehicles in the host city of Belo Horizonte.
The concrete and steel bridge, which was still under construction, fell on to traffic on a busy highway crushing the front of a commuter bus.
As initial reports indicated the death toll would rise, Marcio Lacerda, the Mayor of Brazil’s third largest city, which has already staged five games and is due to host a semifinal, declared three days of mourning.
The accident took place near the busy district of Lagoa da Pampulha and the Mineirao Stadium itself. The build-up to the tournament was plagued by construction delays with many infrastructure projects still unfinished. But the issues of infrastructure have since been largely overshadowed by the football itself. In all, eight workers died building stadiums in the 12 host cities.
The collapsed bridge was part of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that officials had promised would be ready for the World Cup. The cause of the accident, the worst since the month-long tournament began, was unclear.
The unfinished flyover was part of the World Cup infrastructure plan aimed at improving Belo Horizonte’s public transport system. Ironically the city had been hailed as one of the prime examples of a strong World Cup legacy and the accident is a devastating blow to the local authorities.
The construction firm that was responsible for building the flyover, Cowan, said it “deeply regrets what happened” and that technical staff had been sent to the scene to start investigations.
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