A
worker at a World Cup stadium in the Brazilian city of Cuiaba was killed in an
electrical accident on Thursday, temporarily halting construction of the
stadium and adding to woes in the rushed preparations for the tournament.
Muhammad-Ali
Maciel Afonso, 32, was the eighth worker to die at one of Brazil's
twelve World Cup arenas. He was working for Etel Engenharia to install a
communications network, according to a state government official and an
executive at the company.
The
2014 World Cup, the first to be held in Brazil since 1950, has been beset by
delays, cost overruns and broken promises. In addition to the late delivery of
stadiums, three of which are still not ready, several key public transportation
projects have been scaled back or abandoned altogether.
FIFA
secretary general Jerome Valcke and Brazil's sports minister Aldo Rebelo
expressed their condolences to Afonso's family and colleagues in statements.
The
Arena Pantanal in the western city of Cuiaba is one of the most delayed
stadiums being built for the tournament, which starts June 12.
The
unfinished stadium held a test match last month, but workers are still adding
seats, wiring and other final touches. An October fire caused structural damage
at the stadium that has since been repaired.
Telecom
networks are among the most delayed elements of half a dozen World Cup arenas,
including Cuiaba, with industry groups scrambling to set up wifi and cell
coverage in as little as half the time they requested.
Cuiaba's
stadium is one of several that critics warn may become white elephants after
the World Cup. The Arena Pantanal will have more than 40,000 seats, but the
city's biggest soccer team usually plays to crowds of less than 2,000.
The
Arena Pantanal will host four matches in the tournament: Chile vs Australia,
Russia vs South Korea, Nigeria vs Bosnia and Japan vs Colombia.
Work on
the stadium was halted pending a police investigation into the accident.
Fatal
accidents have also occurred at arenas in the capital Brasilia, the Amazonian
city of Manaus and the opening venue in Sao Paulo, which President Dilma
Rousseff toured on Thursday.
Two
workers lost their lives building stadiums for the World Cup hosted in South
Africa four years ago.
Construction
of the new Arena Corinthians stadium in Sao Paulo has sparked protests from
families who say they have been pushed out of their neighborhood by the
project.
Before
touring the stadium on Thursday, Rousseff met with representatives of more than
2,000 families squatting on private land two miles south of the arena.
The squatters say its construction has driven up real
estate values. Rousseff promised them access to the government's low-cost
housing program, according to a presidential aide.
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