An overpass collapsed in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte yesterday, killing two persons and injuring 10 more, an emergency official said.

Television images showed part of a passenger bus crushed under the overpass and news website G1 said another two trucks and a vehicle were also smashed.

The accident site is around three kilometres from the Mineirao stadium, where a World Cup semi-final match will be held next Tuesday. The stadium has already hosted five games.

A fire department official told GloboNews that two persons were killed and 10 injured.

A spokeswoman for the Belo Horizonte fire department told Reuters there were reports of several injuries, although she would not confirm the deaths.

The overpass was one of the many infrastructure projects aimed at improving the city’s ailing public transport network. The bridge was to be used for passenger buses in a system known as BRT/Move, considered a legacy project from the World Cup.

Heavy government spending on the World Cup and long delays in finishing promised infrastructure projects have spurred violent street protests in Brazil over the past year, although they have died down in recent weeks.