Bridge collapse kills two in World Cup city Belo Horizonte
- 10 years ago
At least two people have been killed by a bridge collapse in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte.
Firefighters said the overpass – close to the Mineirao football stadium – fell on top of a car, two trucks and a bus. It was part of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that officials had promised would be ready for the tournament.
Protesters have been quick to blame the government saying it has “blood on its hands.”
They also accuse officials of rushing to complete the flyover construction as the tournament dealt with several accidents and delays.
One demonstrator said: “We don’t want that. We want education, we want the hospitals, we want quality of life – we don’t want that, what happened today.”
“Last April, my husband died in a hospital with very bad facilities. So it would be nice to have a hospital as nice as a FIFA stadium,” said another protester.
Earlier this week the Mineirao football stadium played host to the last 16 football match between Brazil and Chile. The next match is the World Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
Firefighters said the overpass – close to the Mineirao football stadium – fell on top of a car, two trucks and a bus. It was part of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that officials had promised would be ready for the tournament.
Protesters have been quick to blame the government saying it has “blood on its hands.”
They also accuse officials of rushing to complete the flyover construction as the tournament dealt with several accidents and delays.
One demonstrator said: “We don’t want that. We want education, we want the hospitals, we want quality of life – we don’t want that, what happened today.”
“Last April, my husband died in a hospital with very bad facilities. So it would be nice to have a hospital as nice as a FIFA stadium,” said another protester.
Earlier this week the Mineirao football stadium played host to the last 16 football match between Brazil and Chile. The next match is the World Cup semi-final on Tuesday.