Two Construction Workers Killed in Brazil 2014 World Cup Stadium

Marcleudo de Melo Ferreira, 22, died in a hospital in Manaus at around 4am, according to the local forensic centre, after falling nearly 115 feet from the roof of the stadium, which will host England’s match against Italy next summer. The body of a second worker, José Antonio da Silva Nascimento, 49, was later found at the site’s convention centre, which will host meetings during the World Cup.

His sister-in-law, Priscila Soares said that he had been under pressure because the work was behind schedule, and “worked from Sunday to Sunday”. The incidents prompted the local union to threaten to start a strike on Monday, to complain about inadequate conditions offered to staff.

Workers have been killed at three of Brazil’s 12 World Cup stadia so far. Fatal accidents have also occurred in Brasilia and most recently in São Paulo, where two people died on 27 November after a crane collapsed in the arena that is to host the opening game on 12 June.

Preparations for the World Cup have also been plagued by delays, accidents, cost overruns and public anger over government waste that contributed to massive nationwide street protests last year.

Andrade Gutierrez, the Brazilian firm building the Amazon stadium, said in a statement that Ferreira worked for a company that had been contracted to build the arena’s cover and an internal investigation of the incident would be conducted. Meanwhile, workers went on strike over late pay at one of the stadiums enduring the longest delays before the World Cup. The work stoppage happened in the southern city of Curitiba, where the current world champions, Spain, are expected.

The Curitiba mayor, Gustavo Fruet, said about one-third of the stadium’s 1,200 workers took part in the strike that lasted up to three days this week. He said protesting workers blocked a city avenue for about an hour on Friday. The deadline for Curitiba’s stadium has already been pushed back to mid-February because of construction delays that officials said resulted from belated financing. The stadium belongs to the Brazilian first division club Atlético Paranaense and is undergoing extensive renovation to host matches in next year’s World Cup.