The Olympics are only months away, and things in Rio de Janeiro are not going great. In fact, they’re going very poorly, even fatally so.
At least two people are dead in Rio after the just-completed Tim Maia Bike Path, built for the Summer Olympics, was hit by a wave and collapsed. The path was considered a centerpiece legacy project of the new Olympic infrastructure, according to the AP.
According to the Guardian, at least five bikers were on the bridge when it fell into the water. One of them was rescued and two were found dead.
Pedro Paulo Carvalho, the municipal secretary, told the Globo television network that the accident was “unpardonable” and is under investigation.
Here’s a video of the post-crash scene:
Besides being tragic, this accident is obviously very embarrassing for Rio’s Olympic organizers, and the timing only makes it worse. The bike path collapse came only hours after the lighting of the Olympic torch in Athens.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported Tuesday that Brazil is launching an investigation into corruption among… the engineers responsible for the Games’ infrastructure, who are allegedly “siphoning kickbacks from state oil firm Petrobras to political parties.”
Between water pollution, the Zika virus, budget shortcomings, political unrest and now infrastructure problems, Rio has a whole host of issues to work out before the Olympics start in August.