Given that Brazil has spent around $US14 billion getting ready to host the 2014 World Cup, you’d think they’d have sufficient funds to install staircases that weren’t made of scaffolding. I mean, just look at those steps shake under the load of hundreds of futbol fans.
In this raw video from what looks like outside Estadio Beira-Rio in the city of Rio de Janeiro, you can clearly see not just the handrails but the entire structure of the staircase swaying under the momentum and weight of all those fans. Plus that’s at least four flights up, from what we can see — and situated above concrete. Here’s what the stadium itself looks like from inside:
It’s likely that these stairs (which look very temporary) were designed for a certain amount of deflection — or movement — under such massive loads. But this much swaying isn’t normal, and you definitely wouldn’t want to be anywhere near them in the event of an emergency.
Picture: AP Photo/Michael Sohn