Rio Olympics: Aerial Camera Falls into Crowd

An overhead television camera suspended on cables snapped in Olympic Park Monday afternoon, injuring multiple people. This incident is to add to the long list of security and logistical problems for the 2016 Rio Olympics Games.
Four people suffered minor injuries and were sent to a nearby hospital and were expected to be discharged later that day, according to a Rio Games official.

The latest of a string of mishaps comes as another embarrassment for Olympic organizers already facing safety concerns after U.S Gold medalist, Ryan Lochte, and three other American swimmers were robbed at gunpoint the other day.

The aerial camera, belonging to the official Olympics broadcasting unit, was suspended about 65 feet before the cable snapped sending the camera to crash down on the patrons below.

One woman was seen bleeding from the face as medics arrived, while another woman was being transported to an ambulance wearing a neck brace.

Suspicious packages, muggings, stray bullets flying at venues, shattered windows on a bus and an Olympic security officer fatally shot in a favela. Just a smidge of incidents since South America’s first Olympic Games began has frightened visitors to Rio de Janeiro even as some Brazilians say typically crime-ridden streets in touristy areas seem more secure.

Serious questions about construction quality and safety began arising when Rio’s venues were still not complete days before the opening ceremony. A boat ramp at the Marina da Gloria sailing venue collapsed just days before the start of the Games.

Rio organizers were in a hurry to get the final touches, but they were warned 5 years ago against construction companies cutting corners.

Constant international coverage of the incidents affecting visitors of the Games is no surprise that foreigners are finding Rio to be every bit as dangerous as they expected. Hosting the Olympic games at the US equivalent of $12 billion has caused a lot more troubles than Rio originally thought.