FC Twente stadium collapse

[limecat]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011 ... te-stadium

One person has died and a further 10 people are being treated in hospital after the roof of FC Twente's De Grolsch Veste stadium collapsed.

Three people were treated at the scene, said Peter den Oudsten, the mayor of the Dutch city of Enschede where the stadium is located.

Den Oudsten said sniffer dogs and cameras were being used to check if anybody else was still trapped under the tangle of girders and red roof panels the colour of FC Twente's shirts behind the goal at the southern end of the stadium.

The roof is reported to have collapsed after two support beams buckled, although the reason why this happened is not yet known.

The work was being carried out as part of the club's development of their stadium to a 32,000-seat arena. The capacity was just 13,500 when the Enschede side moved to the venue in 1998.

The stadium is situated on the outskirts of Enschede in the east of the Netherlands, close to the German border.

FC Twente, who finished second in the Eredivisie last season and won the Dutch Cup, were until 2010 managed by the former England manager, Steve McClaren.

The club's chairman Joop Munsterman is thought to have left the team's pre-season training camp in Zeeland and is returning to Enschede, while the coach, Co Adriaanse, has cancelled all press activity until further notice.

FC Twente posted a statement on their official website which read: "During the renovation work at the Grolsch Veste the roof of the building collapsed. Our thoughts are with everyone involved."

[Leinster Exile]

They do not have much luck in Enschede. The Fireworks explosion wrecked the place back in 99 and now this