Two people are dead in a major construction accident at Sao Paulo’s Arena Corinthians stadium, where the World Cup opening ceremony is supposed to take place next year.  It’s adding to worries that the stadium and perhaps Brazil in general will not be ready to host the contest.

The death toll might have been worse, had most of the workers not been away from the site on their lunch breaks. 

The company building the stadium Odebrecht Infrastructure said, “the crane that hoisted the last module of the structure of the metal roof collapsed causing the fall of the part of the circulation area of the east building.”

A LED panel outside the venue was also hit.

Odebrecht is stressing that the structure of the stadium was not damaged.  Brazil has admitted to struggle to get the venues ready by the FIFA deadlines, and the Sao Paulo stadium was supposed to be ready by the end of December.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic deaths”.

This is the third fatal accident in World Cup stadiums in Brazil, with two other construction workers killed over the past two years.  Six of Brazil's stadiums are not yet ready for the World Cup next summer.

Earlier this month, Brazil was shocked by the return of mass robberies on Rio de Janeiro’s beaches.  Large gangs of youths from the favelas descended on the sun worshipers, snatching purses, ripping gold chains from necks, and stealing cell phones.  The cops can’t immediately respond in like numbers, and the youths take off in all directions – and that’s how they are able to get away with it.