Commonwealth Games rocked by bridge collapse and 'filthy' flats

With teams already threatening to withdraw from the tournament due to the "filthy" and "uninhabitable" state of their accommodation, the head of England's Commonwealth Games team last night demanded guarantees of safety for his athletes after a major walkway designed to carry thousands of participants, officials and spectators to the main stadium collapsed.

The incident left 27 workers injured, five seriously. It came three months after India's anti-corruption watchdog warned of suspicions over building practices at some Games venues.

There was further controversy in Delhi on Friday when the Indian government flattened a slum inhabited by 2,000 people due to its proximity to a new luxury hotel erected for the competition, leaving hundreds of families homeless.

Security concerns have added to the pressure, with confirmation yesterday that Prince Charles will be representing the Queen at the opening ceremony on October 3, despite fears over the event.

Two gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists near one of India's biggest mosques at the weekend, injuring two people, and militant Islamic groups have vowed to target the Games next month.

The state of the athletes' village remains the most pressing concern for organisers, with the first participants due to start arriving later this week.

Team leaders from England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and Canada have expressed "grave concerns" about the accommodation.

Craig Hunter, England's chef de mission, said: "A significant number of bedrooms are not watertight and have been flooded. Later this afternoon we heard the tragic news of the bridge collapsing and workers injured. We are now pressing the organising committee and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to give us real guarantees that the venues are safe."

Other problems in the accommodation include broken showers, air conditioning and plug sockets, while labourers have apparently used the toilets without cleaning them afterwards.

Mr Hunter said the England team remain "committed to participating" but that "time is beginning to run out." The men's hockey team are due to arrive on Friday.

"Teams may start to take things into their own hands," Mr Hunter said. "Athletes will start getting on planes soon and decisions will have to be made. We need new levels of reassurance."

New Zealand's chef de mission Dave Currie has already issued a clear warning his team could pull out.

"The way things are looking, it's not up to scratch. If the village is not ready and athletes can't come, the implications are that it's not going to happen."

CGF chief executive Mike Hooper agreed organisers had failed to meet their promises, saying: "The word filthy is almost generous. They are not habitable."

The organisers, however, insisted there was no cause for concern.

Organising Committee vice-president Randhir Singh confirmed some of problems had come from the labour force "dirtying" the completed apartments but insisted the flats were basically "perfect".

"There were some flats that the labour force was working on and they had dirtied certain other flats," he said. "They will be looked into and I'm sure there will be no problem. We still have two days for the teams to come and the situation will be under control."