A portion of false ceiling in the Commonwealth Games weightlifting venue in India's capital caved in on Wednesday, a day after 27 workers were injured when a footbridge collapsed near the same sports complex.
The head of Commonwealth Games was rushing to New Delhi for emergency talks with Indian officials amid anger over the country's frenzied last-minute preparations for the event meant to showcase India's ability to stand up to China on the world stage.
Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell was due to arrive in New Delhi Thursday and had requested a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Commonwealth Games is a major international event held every four years involving athletes from 54 countries, most of which used to be British colonies.
Fennell's planned arrival came as organizers struggle to cope with unfinished buildings, a filthy athletes' village — where excrement was found in some rooms — an outbreak of dengue fever and numerous other problems.
The falling ceiling — which resulted in no injuries — came just a day after the collapse of a footbridge by the main stadium. Tuesday's incident left 27 workers hurt and highlighted the problems facing organizers as they race to complete work.
Fennell said on Tuesday the two-week event, starting Oct. 3, was seriously compromised by filthy conditions that have shocked delegations.
'On a knife-edge'
Several big name athletes have already pulled out of the Commonwealth Games and Scotland on delayed its departure to New Delhi.
Meanwhile, some countries have effectively given Delhi a few days to clean up the Games village or face the prospect of national withdrawals from an event which is so far only showcasing Indian traveler-tale cliches of filth, chaos and corruption.
The chairman of Commonwealth Games England said problems with the athletes' village have left the event "on a knife-edge."
"The next 24 to 48 hours is the critical time" to determine whether the standards of the athletes' village, which has been described as filthy, can be raised, Andrew Foster told the BBC.
Officials countered that the problems, including the roof collapse on Wednesday, were mostly minor glitches and the Games will be a success.
"Please try to understand ... They want certain standards of hygiene, they want certain standards of cleanliness, which may differ from my standard," said Lalit Bhanot, spokesman of the Delhi organizing committee.
Dismal preparations have, for many, underscored the out-of-touch, slow-paced leadership of Prime Minister Singh and his Congress government, raising questions how a graft-ridden, inefficient state can hope to compete with China.
Despite official proclamations that the installations will be ready on time, the country's newspapers fastened on the news of the Games' latest woes.
"National Shame" read the headline in one Indian newspaper.
"The objective of showcasing an emerging Asian power on the world stage is set to self-destruct," according to an article in the Times of India. "The bottom line is that a systemic, nationwide malaise has been exposed."
'Unfit for human habitation'
The outburst in the nation's media comes as international observers focus on the dilapidated state of many of the Games' venues.
Officials in India ahead of the teams of athletes reported that rooms in the village were "unsafe and unfit for human habitation," Britain's Guardian newspaper reported. Monsoon rains had flooded some of the rooms, while air conditioning and electrical sockets weren't working in others, according to the newspaper.
"There have been dogs roaming around the village, the apartments are filthy, there are piles of rubble and right now it's not fit to receive 6,500 athletes and officials," Michael Cavanagh, chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, told the BBC.
Some four or five accommodation towers at the Games village are still unfinished, lacking facilities such as wireless Internet, fitted toilets and plumbing, according to Reuters. Rubble, unused masonry and discarded bricks litter the unfinished gardens.
World discus champion Dani Samuels of Australia pulled out of the Games because of security and health concerns, as did England's world triple jump champion Phillips Idowu. Four other champions have quit due to various reasons, including injuries, in the last 24 hours.
"Sorry people, but I have children to think about. My safety is more important to them than a medal," Idowu wrote on his Twitter feed.
Triple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica is the highest profile athlete to skip the event.
The dengue epidemic, in part blamed on stagnant water around unfinished construction sites, has hit Delhi and hundreds of people have been hospitalized. Many residents are fleeing Delhi during the Games, worried about security and traffic chaos.
Only days after two foreign visitors were shot and wounded by unknown assailants in Delhi, Australian TV broadcast how a reporter bought bomb making devices to smuggle through security points. Indian police denied he ever crossed a checkpoint.
Highlighting how the Games has quickly become a political minefield for a government already reeling under high inflation, officials from Singh's office toured the village.
"It's no state secret, we're concerned," said an official at the prime minister's office, who declined to be named.
So far Singh, who took charge of monitoring the preparations a month ago after criticism of missed deadlines, has remained silent on the mounting criticism of the state of the Games, underscoring what critics say is his out-of-touch leadership.
Sporting power Australia backed the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday and many venues, including the main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, have been praised as world-class.
Officials note that other events such as the 2004 Athens Olympics were dogged by problems, but turned out fine.
But Canada's Games team said it might delay the arrival of some of its athletes if adequate accommodation was not available.
New Zealand Olympic Committee officials have arrived in Delhi to inspect facilities and security.
"I think if the Commonwealth Games didn't go ahead, that could have significant implications for the future of the Commonwealth Games, and that's not something we'd like to see," New Zealand Prime Minister John Key told reporters.