Two people killed in collapse at stadium hosting World Cup opener

RIO DE JANEIRO — An accident at the soccer stadium in Sao Paulo that will host the World Cup opening match left two construction workers dead and caused part of the stadium to collapse Wednesday.

Brazilian and FIFA officials have issued statements expressing their condolences as the country prepares to hold the World Cup in six months. Since the tournament was awarded to Brazil in 2007, preparations have been marred by cost overruns, construction delays and widespread protests at last summer's Confederations Cup. Brazil is spending about $3.5 billion on building and refurbishing stadiums for the World Cup.

At 1 p.m. in Sao Paulo, a crane that was used to place the last parts of the metal roof of the stadium collapsed, causing parts of the eastern section of the structure to topple. The two victims were construction workers Fábio Luiz Pereira, 42, and Ronaldo Oliveira dos Santos, 44.

Frederico Barbosa, operational manager of the construction company working on the stadium, said all safety measures were taken to prevent an accident. The Sao Paulo Public Ministry, a body of public prosecutors, said it will investigate the accident.

"Deaths, unfortunately, happen," said Andrés Sánchez, the ex-president of the Corinthians, the professional soccer team that owns the stadium.

Odebrecht, the construction company in charge of building the stadium, and the Corinthians said work will resume Monday.

FIFA released a statement expressing condolences to the families of the victims and assured that, "The safety of workers in the top priority for FIFA, the (local organizing committee) and the federal government."

The stadium in Sao Paolo's Itaquera neighborhood was nearly complete before Wednesday's accident. FIFA had set a December deadline for all 12 World Cup stadiums to be ready.

"I don't want to know about FIFA," Sanchez said in reponse to questions about whether the stadium could be ready for FIFA's deadline. "We are worried about the families. We are giving them full assistance. All that we can do to ease this will be done."

Odebrecht and the Corinthians club have made no comments about how the accident will affect the completion of the stadium. Officials said 30% of the stadium is off-limits due to unsafe conditions after Wednesday's tragedy.

The stadium will have a capacity of 68,000 people. It's scheduled to host the opening match featuring Brazil on June 12 and five other matches, including a semifinal.

Next week soccer officials from around the world will travel to Costa do Sauipe on the Bahia coast for the tournament's final draw on Friday. Thirty-two teams, including the United States, will be divided into eight groups.

This is not the first instance of unsafe working conditions in construction of Brazil's World Cup stadiums. In early October, construction on Curitiba's Arena da Baixada was halted by court orders due to unsafe working conditions. A judge sighted countless infractions and said workers were at risk of "being buried, run over and of collision, falling from heights and being hit by construction material."

Workers at Rio's newly refurbished Maracanã stadium protested due to poor working conditions in 2011 during the stadium's upgrade. The strike began after a worker was injured in an accidental explosion. Workers demanded safer working conditions and a health plan.

One expert on Brazilian stadiums said he didn't expect the accident would delay the stadium's completion.

"Out of the 12 World Cup stadiums, six are ready and were tested during the Confederations Cup. This is a guarantee the World Cup isn't at risk," said Pedro Trengrouse, a professor at Fundacao Getulio Vargas and a United Nations consultant for the World Cup.

In Brazil, soccer fans expressed concern that the stadium tragedy will hurt the country's image.

"I'm worried by the construction of the new stadiums for the Cup in Brazil," Felipe Fonseca, a 30-year-old Brazilian soccer fan said. "Are the projects being done correctly and guaranteeing the safety of the fans?

"The national reaction is going to be of apprehension and of doubt involving all the works that are happening in all the World Cup stadiums. … The entire world, without a doubt, is commenting about this, and it is not good for Brazil's international reputation."

Leonardo Monteiro, a 23-year-old Rio resident and student, also expressed worry about whether Brazil will be ready for the World Cup in six months.

"I think there will be a lot of concern about the possibility of delay in the works. The image of Brazil may be quite impaired."

Contributing: Leonardo Siqueira