SAO PAULO
A worker at the Arena Pantanal World Cup stadium in Brazil has died after being electrocuted, a government official said Thursday.
The latest World Cup death, which happened at the stadium in Cuiabá, capital of the central-western state of Mato Grosso, is the ninth associated with stadium projects in Brazil during preparations for the key football (soccer) tournament.
The worker sustained an electric shock while assisting with the installation of a telecommunications network and died at the site after suffering cardiorespiratory arrest, despite the best efforts of medical teams.
The man, named as 32-year-old Muhammad-Ali Maciel Afonso, worked for Etel Engenharia, a company contracted to install the network in the stadium.
Construction at the site has been temporarily halted. The arena is among the three most-delayed stadiums of the 12 hosting the tournament, along with São Paulo and Curitiba.
The systems, which boost mobile phone coverage and provide wireless Internet access for fans and the media, have been a source of contention at a number of stadium. Companies responsible for them say they should have been installed 90 days before use in order to allow for appropriate testing to be carried out.
Many have been given around half that time.
The Arena Pantanal, named after the globally recognized wetlands located nearby, is set to host four World Cup matches, beginning with Chile vs. Australia on June 13.
The tournament begins a day earlier in São Paulo on June 12, when Brazil take on Croatia for the opening match.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
