World Cup City Bridge Collapses; 2 Dead

Brazil has taken a lot of flak over shoddy, unfinished, and even deadly construction projects ahead of this year's World Cup, and now this: A highway overpass under construction in the city of Belo Horizonte collapsed today, trapping or damaging several vehicles, reports CNN and AP. One woman in a commuter bus was killed, and the AP quotes a city official who says a second person has died as well. About 20 were injured in early reports.

Belo Horizonte has hosted several World Cup games—its next is Tuesday—and the collapse took place about 3 miles from the stadium. Construction was supposed to have been finished before the competition began. Michael Lynch of the Sydney Morning Herald, who is in Brazil covering the tournament, writes that he's not surprised. "At several of the stadiums I attended for World Cup games, work was incomplete, with a strong sense that things had been patched up and rushed to make sure that on the surface they looked OK." (More bridge collapse stories.)