An electrical accident at a World Cup stadium killed a worker in the Brazilian city of Cuiaba on Thursday, temporarily halting construction and adding to setbacks in the rushed preparations for the tournament, according to the Associated Press.
Muhammad-Ali Maciel Afonso, 32, is the eighth worker to die at one of Brazil's twelve World Cup arenas, the AP reported. The Arena Pantanal in the western city of Cuiaba is one of the most delayed stadiums being built for the tournament, which starts June 12.
The unfinished stadium in Cuiaba held a test match last month, but workers are still adding seats, wiring and other final touches, according to the AP. An October fire caused structural damage at the stadium that has since been repaired.
Afonso was working for Etel Engenharia to install a communications network, according to a state government official and an executive at the company, according to the AP. Work on the stadium was halted pending a police investigation into the accident.
The road to the 2014 World Cup, the first to be held in Brazil since 1950, has been beset by delays, cost overruns and broken promises, the AP reported. In addition to the late delivery of stadiums, three of which are still not ready, several key public transportation projects have been scaled back or abandoned altogether.
Telecom networks are among the most delayed elements of half a dozen World Cup arenas, including Cuiaba, with industry groups scrambling to setup wifi and cell coverage in as little as half the time they requested, the AP reported.
Cuiaba's stadium is one of several that critics warn may become white elephants after the World Cup, according to the AP. The Arena Pantanal will have more than 40,000 seats, but the city's biggest soccer team usually plays to crowds of less than 2,000.
The Arena Pantanal will host four matches in the tournament: Chile vs Australia, Russia vs South Korea, Nigeria vs Bosnia and Japan vs Colombia, the AP reported.
