Brazil World Cup 2014: Worker Killed After Falling From Stadium

A construction worker has died following an accident at one of the stadiums set to be used for the 2014 World Cup.

The man was killed while working on the construction of the Arena Amazonia in Manaus after falling from a height of around 35 metres.

The man (Marcleudo de Melo Ferreira, 22), died in hospital in Manaus after falling nearly 35m (115ft) when a cable broke.

The stadium is behind schedule and work is under way day and night to complete it by Fifa's end of year deadline.

It is the latest of several deaths during construction of Brazil's World Cup stadiums.

Two workers were killed in an accident on 27 November when a crane fell and destroyed parts of Sao Paulo's Arena Corinthians, which will host the opening game on 12 June.

That accident delayed the stadium's completion date by several months.

Andrade Gutierrez, the company building the Amazon stadium, said the dead worker had been employed by a company subcontracted to construct the stadium's cover.

It said work had been halted until Sunday.

The stadium is due to host four group-stage matches at the World Cup, including the high-profile Group D clash between England and Italy on June 14.

A statement from construction company Andrade Gutierrez read: "Andrade Gutierrez reports with regret that at around 4am today, 14/12/2013, the worker Marcleudo de Melo Ferreira, 22, a native of Limoeiro do Norte - CE, an employee of the subcontractor providing services in assembling the cover of Arena Amazon, suffered a fall from a height of about 35 metres, being rescued and taken to the emergency room still showing vital signs, where he succumbed to his injuries and passed away this morning.

"We reiterate commitment to the safety of all employees and that an internal investigation is being done into the causes of the accident. Legal measures are being taken in conjunction with the relevant authorities.

"We deeply regret the accident occurred and we are providing full assistance to the worker's family.

A statement from Fifa added: "Fifa and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) learned of the death of the worker on Saturday at the Arena Amazonia site with great sadness.
"We would like to send our most sincere condolences to his family, relatives, colleagues and friends."