23 workers injured as Commonwealth Games bridge collapses

The collapse of an under-construction footbridge in new Delhi has reportedly left 23 workers injured. The 95 m long structure was located outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue for next month's Commonwealth Games, and has dealt another blow to the troubled event.

Local media reports say the bridge between the stadium and its car park collapsed around 3.00 pm on 21 September as contractor PNR Infra carried out a concrete pour. A spokesman for Delhi's Department of Public Works described the incident as a "setback", but maintained the venue would be ready in time for the opening ceremony on 3 October.

However, the collapse is another blow to preparations to the games, which have been dogged by corner cutting, corruption and delays.

In a separate development this weak, team leaders from Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand and Wales have voiced serious concerns about the athletes' accommodation during the games. Among the most critical has been Commonwealth Games Scotland, which said in a statement, "Team Scotland officials found that building works had fallen seriously behind schedule and that its allocated accommodation blocks were far from finished and in their view, unsafe and unfit for human habitation."

Some teams are now reportedly insisting that their athletes be housed in hotels, and cancellation of the games has been raised as a possibility in some quarters.