Delhi Games deaths soar to 42

Deaths of construction workers on the Delhi Commonwealth Games venues have reached 42 amid a storm of controversy engulfing the event.

The death toll is the highest of any big sporting events of the past ten years - construction for the Athens Olympics was associated with 14 deaths, Beijing had six, Sydney had one and London 2010 has had none so far. The deaths were reported by the labour ministry but human right groups have claimed the true number is closer to 70.

Meanwhile the Commonwealth Games, which are scheduled for October, have been hit by allegations of corruption. India’s corruption-busting Central Vigilance Commission is investigating 16 Delhi 2010 projects for alleged irregularities amounting to around £35m.

The Times of India reported that quality certificates examined by the CVC on 16 projects were ”forged or suspect”. It quoted a CVC official saying fake certificates were “routinely issued to pass substandard work and material”.

The news follows revelations that the final price of the Delhi Games will be ten times over the orginal budget.