According to a report by the Associated Press, an overpass project under construction which is part of the World Cup infrastructure plan in Brazil has collapsed on Thursday. The collapse resulted in the death of at least one person and had trapped a commuter bus, a car and two construction trucks, authorities have said.
The incident reportedly happened on a main avenue, of which the news outlet said is part of the urban mobility project related to the tournament that has not been finished on time. The collapsed overpass is around 3 miles from the Mineirao soccer stadium in Belo Horizente, which had played host to several tournament matches in the last few weeks and will also host the semifinal match next Tuesday.
Captain Federico Pascual of the Belo Horizonte fire department confirmed that the casualty was a woman who had been driving the commuter bus. Pascual also added that 10 other people were injured in the collapsed overpass, and all are construction workers who were working on the overpass. He also commented how the overpass was arched over a really busy thoroughfare.
Details of the actual number of casualties and injured victims remained sketchy at best, as Pascual said that responders are unable to get a look inside the car that was trapped as well.
BBC noted that Brazil's GloboNews 24-hour news channel have claimed that at least 19 were injured.
Eyewitness Renata Soares told GloboNews, "When I saw the flyover falling down, I feared the worst would happen, that the bridge would turn on top of our bus."
The preparations of the Brazilian government for the World Cup had received national criticism for its overspending. Moreover, it has also been marred by missed deadlines and accidents as well, BBC said. Ahead of the tournament open, at least seven were killed while working on the stadiums.
