Work resumes at Brazil World Cup venue after fatality

16 December 2013 20:46

Work on the World Cup stadium in Manaus partially resumed Monday following a two-day shutdown after the death of a construction worker, prosecutors said.

The local prosecutor's office ordered an immediate halt to work on the venue on Saturday after the 22-year-old worker became the second fatality at the venue this year.

But a spokesman later indicated that "only work high up remains at a standstill."

He added officials were seeking to ascertain if site managers were complying with health and safety regulations, something prosecutors have repeatedly called into question.

The latest tragedy followed hot on the heels of a double fatality at another new stadium, in Sao Paulo, which will host the June 12 World Cup opening game between hosts Brazil and Croatia.

On Saturday, the Manaus prosecutor's office warned main site contractor Andrade Gutierrez it faced a daily fine of 100,000 reais ($45,000) if it did not fully comply with judicial worker safety regulations.

Local unions say worker conditions are not safe and threatened strike action.

The public prosecutor had already identified several health and safety violations even before the March death of a 49-year-old worker at the stadium, where England will face Italy in their opening group match.

In Sao Paulo, meanwhile, organisers at the Arena Corinthians insisted the venue would recover from the November 27 death of two workers killed when a crane collapsed.

Former Corinthians FC chairman Andres Sanchez on Monday vowed to aid the families of the two dead workers, but denied that work had was being rushed to meet World Cup deadlines.

Investigations into the crane accident are ongoing.

Sao Paulo site director of communications Marco Antonio Antunes said five percent of the site had been damaged in the accident but insisted the venue would be ready for mid-April test events.

Had it not been for the accident, "we could have finished the work on January 20 and undertaken a first test at the end of February," he told reporters.

Source: AFP