BELO HORIZONTE FAMOSA II: Rescue workers try to reach vehicles trapped underneath a bridge that collapsed while under construction in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Photograph: Reuters An unfinished overpass collapsed in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte on Thursday, killing at least two people, emergency officials said. Television images showed the front of a passenger bus crushed by the overpass, which was located about two miles (3 km) from the Mineirão Stadium where World Cup games are being played. Other vehicles were also crushed underneath the wreckage. A bus trapped underneath the collapsed bridge in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Photograph: /Reuters Two people died and 19 were injured, a spokeswoman for the Minas Gerais state health department told Reuters on Thursday. A fire department spokesman said there was still one person trapped in a car, and possibly others. The cause of the collapse was unclear. Groups of people gathered around the scene of the accident, some shouting furiously. This is the incompetence of our authorities and our businesses, said Leandro Brito, 23, a bank worker. Because of the World Cup they sped everything up to finish faster. Thats why this tragedy has happened. They are not making things properly. Everyone is very angry. Rescue workers try to reach vehicles. Photograph: /Reuters Renata Soares, who said she was on the bus at the moment of the accident, told GloboNews TV: We were travelling normally and then there was a terrible noise. I am sure that more people in other cars were underneath the debris. A World Cup semi-final match will be held in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday. The stadium has already hosted five games. After Brazil was awarded the World Cup in 2007, politicians promised $8bn (£4.7bn) would be spent on 56 airports, subway lines and other such projects nationwide. But less than 10 of the infrastructure projects were completed in time for the tournament, including the project where the overpass collapsed in Belo Horizonte. Last month, a worker died after a 90-tonne beam fell during the construction of a monorail train project in São Paulo. The heavy government spending on the World Cup and long delays in infrastructure projects have spurred violent street protests in Brazil over the past year, although they have died down in recent weeks.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 00:52:16 +0000
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