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Sao Paulo stadium worker dies

A worker died on Saturday after falling at the construction site of the stadium that will host Brazil's World Cup opener in Sao Paulo.

#INSERT type:image caption:An Itaquerao stadium worker died from injuries suffered in a fall on Saturday. END#

Fabio Hamilton da Cruz died in hospital in the city, four months after two fellow workers died when a crane collapsed at the Itaquerao stadium.

He fell about 26 feet while helping to install temporary seats, construction company Fast Engenharia said in a statement. Firefighters said the worker fell from about 50 feet.

The press office of the Hospital Santa Marcelina confirmed the death, saying the worker didn't survive serious head injuries. He was pronounced dead just before he was expected to undergo surgery.

A FIFA statement read: "FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) deeply regret the death of worker Fabio Hamilton da Cruz following an accident which occurred today at the Arena de Sao Paulo.

"With great sadness we send our sincere condolences to the family and colleagues. For FIFA, the LOC and the Brazilian authorities safety is paramount. We are awaiting the official report from the authorities."

It was the eighth death at World Cup venues so far. Three workers died in the Arena da Amazonia in the jungle city of Manaus, including a 55-year-old Portuguese man killed while disassembling a crane that was used to install the stadium's roof earlier this year. In 2012, a worker died at the construction site of the stadium in the nation's capital, Brasilia.

Construction was already behind schedule in Sao Paulo because of the damage caused by the earlier accident in late November.

FIFA said it was expecting the venue to be finished in mid-May, about a month before the June 12 opener, but it wasn't clear if Saturday's incident would prompt further delays.

About 20,000 temporary seats were being added to the new stadium to increase its capacity for the high-profile inaugural match between host Brazil and Croatia.

Construction at Brazil stadiums has been plagued by delays and three venues remain unfinished less than three months before the opener. Brazil promised all 12 stadiums would be ready by the end of last year but only six were completed by then.

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