FC Twente was expanding the stadium before the start of next season Part of a stadium roof has collapsed in the Dutch city of Enschede, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen.
The accident happened during building work at the ground of top Dutch football team FC Twente. The victims are thought to be construction workers.The roof fell on top of a bank of seats behind one of the goals - Dutch media say two girders had buckled.
"It collapsed with a huge noise like a house of cards," a witness told the Dutch news agency ANP.
Firefighter teams and police helicopters were at the scene shortly afterwards. Rescue workers had to free people from the rubble.
Peter den Oudsten, mayor of Enschede, said besides the one person killed, 10 were taken to hospital and three were treated at the scene.
Sniffer dogs were being used to check if anybody else was still trapped, he said.
No match was being played at the time. The stadium - called Grolsch Veste - is being expanded to accommodate 32,000 fans ahead of the autumn season.
Mr Den Oudsten said it was not clear what had caused the accident.
Click to play
Latest video of the collapsed roof with commentary from Siebe Brinkhof
The club's chairman Joop Munsterman is thought to have left the team's pre-season training camp in Zeeland to return to Enschede.
Club director Jan van Halst said the club "is terribly upset. Our sympathy goes to the victims".
FC Twente are one of the top teams in the Netherlands. In 2010 they won the League One title, and last year came second.
They are playing in the qualifying round of next season's European Champions League and were scheduled to host a match at the Grolsch Veste stadium at the end of July or the beginning of August.
0 comments