Second body found in collapsed Brazilian overpass

Rescue workers yesterday recovered the body of a 25-year-old man crushed when an unfinished overpass coll­apsed in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte.

Firefighters and policemen work at the site where several vehicles were crushed by a viaduct that collapsed in Belo Horizonte. Picture: Getty

The man was named as Charlys Frederico Nascimento, 25, and was the second confirmed death after the bus driver, Hanna Cristina Santos, also 25, died at the scene on Thursday night.

And officials said a number of the 22 people injured when the motorway flyover collapsed remained in hospital. None of their injuries are life threatening, officials said.

Police are continuing to investigate what caused the overpass to fall, and Belo Horizonte’s mayor, Marcio Lacerda, said it was too early to speculate on what had happened: “We don’t know if it was the project or the construction that was flawed,” he said as he announced three days of mourning.

The overpass collapsed three miles from Mineirao stadium, the site of a semi-final match on Tuesday and which has already hosted five matches as part of this year’s Brazil World Cup.

A number of infrastructure projects for the tournament have run behind schedule and gone over budgets.

When Brazil was awarded the World Cup in 2007, politicians promised billions would be spent on 56 airports, subway lines and other such projects nationwide. But fewer than ten of the projects were completed in time for the tournament. Among those delayed was the overpass in Belo Horizonte.