THREE people have died and a number of others were hurt after a crane collapsed at the football stadium due to host the opening game of next year's World Cup.
The accident at the partly completed Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, where hosts Brazil will kick off the tournament on June 12, caused extensive damage to parts of a stand yesterday.
Fifa President Sepp Blatter said he was "deeply saddened" by the deaths.
The organisation's secretary general Jerome Valcke said: "Extremely shocked by the news from Sao Paulo. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims."
Corinthians, the club that will move into the new stadium which will also host five other World Cup games, said that it "deeply regrets the accident".
Local reports said people heard a big crash as the structure collapsed, but most of the site's workers were on lunch breaks.
There was significant damage caused by the fallen crane to the outside of the stadium. It was not immediately clear if the damage could delay the opening. The tragedy is the third at World Cup stadiums in Brazil, with two other workers killed over the past two years. Six stadiums are not yet ready for the tournament. Danny Jordaan, president of the South African Football Federation, suggested organisers may have to order staff to work 24 hours a day for all the stadiums to be ready.
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