World

Overpass collapses in World Cup city

July 5, 2014 12:04 am

An unfinished overpass has collapsed in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte, killing at least two people and injuring 10 more.

Television images showed part of a passenger bus crushed under the overpass and news website G1 said another two trucks and a vehicle were also smashed.

A spokeswoman for the Minas Gerais state health department said two people died and 19 were injured in the collapse on Thursday. A fire department spokesman said one person was trapped in a car, and possibly more.

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Reuters reports the accident site is around 3 kilometres from the Mineirao stadium, where a World Cup semi-final match will be held next Tuesday.

The stadium has already hosted five games.

The cause of the collapse was unclear. The overpass was part of a network of bus lanes that Brazil planned to have ready for the World Cup, but was not finished on time. The bridge was to be used for passenger buses.