Two die in collapse of cycle lane built for Rio Olympics
By Reuters
Last Updated: 22/04/16 6:56am
At least two people have died after a cycle lane built ahead of the Olympic Games collapsed in Rio de Janeiro.
A small section of the 3km lane gave way under crashing ocean waves, and a fire official later confirmed two bodies had been pulled from the sea. A search remains ongoing.
Pedro Paulo Carvalho, secretary of the municipal government, said on local television that the cause of the crash was being investigated.
The 50-metre long lane that collapsed skirted the Atlantic coast and was part of a 3km cycle lane opened in January in an urban regeneration project ahead of the Olympics in August.
Video footage shot by Rio residents and posted online showed massive waves crashing up the sea wall and into the new structure.
The incident occurred just hours after the Olympic torch was lit in Greece. The torch will arrive in Brazil on May 3.
Rio will become the first South American city to host the Olympics but is struggling with its biggest recession in almost a century and a political crisis that could lead to the impeachment of the president.
