Fatalities as bridge collapses in World Cup host city, crushes several vehicles (VIDEO)
At least two people were killed and several others injured as an overpass collapsed in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte, according to the local fire department.
A city bus and several vehicles were crushed after a part of a bridge, which was under construction, fell onto a busy highway. People may be trapped under the debris.
O'Globo's footage showed a yellow bus crushed under part of the bridge. G1 said another two trucks and a vehicle were also smashed.
At least 19 people have been injured according to fire department, globo.com reports.
According to the fire department, two trucks, a minibus and a Fiat Uno are pinned under the rubble. The injured were taken to Odilon Behrens and Risoleta Neves hospitals. The truck, is owned by the contractor who performs works at the site.
Two ambulances and eight fire trucks arrived to perform rescue operations, Military Police informed local press. A helicopter from the Fire Department is also assisting in the rescue.
In an interview with Globo News, Lieutenant Colonel Edgard Estevo from the Fire Department said the rescuers were having difficulty accessing the car under the rubble.
“We need to stabilize the area to access the site safely and to study the situation at the bottom [of the rubble]” Estevo said, referring to the possibility that the rest of the structure might crumble.
The accident occurred in the north of the city where the Argentinian national team’s camp is situated.
"We were traveling normally and then there was a terrible noise," Renata Soares, who said she was on the bus at the moment of the accident, told GloboNews TV. "I am sure that more people in other cars were underneath the debris."
The overpass was one of the many infrastructure projects built to improve Belo Horizonte's public transport network. It was supposed to become one of the links connecting the city center with the airport, but had not been finished in time for the World Cup and was still under construction.
A bridge has collapsed in Brazil’s Belo Horizonte on Thursday afternoon, according to reports.
The bridge is being described as an overpass, according to broadcaster G1.
An aerial shot from G1 shows the cracked in half, with a bus sticking out underneath. Another report said a car was also trapped under the overpass.
A large number of emergency service workers were seen around the bridge.
At least one person was killed, G1 reported.
The bridge was under construction, reported the BBC.
Belo Horizonte, located in the south, was slated to host one of the semi-final matches for the World Cup next week.
At least 10 people were injured in the collapse.
Brazil overpass, World Cup project, collapses
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — An overpass collapsed Thursday in a Brazilian World Cup host city, killing at least one person and trapping a commuter bus, two construction trucks and one car, authorities said.
The incident took place on main avenue, the expansion of which was part of the World Cup infrastructure plan.
A woman who was driving a commuter bus trapped by the overpass died, said Capt. Federico Pascual of the Belo Horizonte fire department. The overpass collapsed about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the Mineirao soccer stadium, which has hosted several World Cup matches in recent weeks and will see the semifinal match next Tuesday.
Pascual said another 10 people were injured in the collapse, all construction workers.
The overpass “arched over a really busy thoroughfare,” Pascual said.
He added that he feared there may be at least one more death, as “we still cannot get a look inside the car” that was trapped.
AP: Brazil takes breather on World Cup rest days
SAO PAULO (AP) — The streets seem too quiet, diners and souvenir stores, empty.
For two whole days now, the globe has gone without World Cup soccer matches in this most electrifying of tournaments in decades. There were no matches on Wednesday and Thursday as teams still standing took a break before heading into Friday’s quarterfinal matches.
All the non-action has left some fans simply bored.
Others are using the time to do simple chores that are impossible to get done when the ball rolls in soccer-loving nations, either because they cannot tear themselves away from the TV or because entire nations likeBrazil shut down due to declared holidays on game days.
“I wish every day was a game day,” said Flavio Teixeira, owner of a retail store that sells soccer jerseys and flags. Teixeira was sitting on a plastic chair waiting for customers to stop by his shop right by Sao Paulo’s Fan Fest. “Two days ago, this would have been flooded. It’s so different.”
It’s not just the emptier restaurants and stores — it’s locals missing the vibe from the rocking Fan Fests and the sight of foreigners dressed in their country’s colors chanting in the street, in subway stations or on plazas or beaches.
Still, from Brazil to Argentina to Colombia, soccer fans are also taking advantage of the break.
Women headed out to the salon to get nails done and tousled hair tamed. Others went to malls, most of which close when Brazil plays or when there is a Cup match in their city.
“I hadn’t had time to buy my 2-year-old a Brazil jersey,” said Claudio Ferreira, 43, who works as a security guard in Sao Paulo. “There is always too much going on.”
In Colombia, people are filling the match void by talking nonstop of that nation’s epic game with Brazil on Friday. It’s all people discuss in restaurants and at work.
Expecting traffic chaos, Luis Garzon, who works as a private driver, said he used this two-day break to pay bills and buy groceries, all to be ready to pay total attention to Friday’s match.
“I went to repair my car, I paid the electric bill and went to the supermarket so I don’t have anything to do these next two weeks,” he said, referring to the mad dash toward the final match on July 13.
In Argentina, 21-year-old law student Camila Fernandez said the Cup had come at the same time as her finals. So, naturally, some teachers changed the dates of their tests so everybody could watch their country play.
“Days without soccer are so boring,” said Fernandez. “The only good thing about not having games is I can catch up with my studies.”
