Delhi Construction Death Hits 2010 Games

The preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi continue to be disrupted by security and construction fears after it emerged that one person has been killed and 12 hurt in a fire at an athletes’ village being built for Games.

The fire reportedly broke out in the residential quarters of on-site construction workers and comes two weeks after a rugby stadium under construction also caught fire.

The authorities are under pressure to finish construction work in major sports venues, amid criticism that some work has fallen behind schedule.

The Commonwealth Games are due to take place in October this year.

Delhi has been undertaking major infrastructure work, including the installation of new metro lines, in preparation for the event.

Reports said the blaze at the athletes’ village near Akshardham Temple had broken out after some of the labourers lit a fire to make tea.

The blaze spread quickly because of foam used to insulate the roofs of the workers’ temporary quarters and took almost two hours to put out.

No-one was hurt in the fire at the rugby stadium on 24th December, which reportedly took two hours to extinguish.

The preparations for the Delhi Games have also been hit by a number of teams questioning security in India in the aftermath of a number of violent incidents in the region.

Rumours are rife that many high-profile teams, including England, might still pull out of competing while many top athletes have already ruled out attending.