At least two dead in Rio building collapse

Two buildings in the historic centre of Rio de Janeiro have collapsed, injuring several people.

Unconfirmed reports say two people were killed, but there may be more bodies in the rubble.

Three buildings in total were destroyed; 20 and 10-storey towers falling on top of a smaller four-storey construction between them. None were residential buildings otherwise the casualty figures would be much higher officials say. However during the day the district is packed full of banks, government offices, and services.

“At first I though someone was throwing rocks and it wasn’t serious. Then I started to take some steps back and all of a sudden the building collapsed. It came down completely, looking somewhat like the September 11 incident,” said one eye-witness.

The accident has left a gaping hole behind the municipal theatre and renewed questions about the safety of Brazilian infrastructure ahead of two of the world’s greatest public events, the football World Cup and the Olympic games.

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