Worker dies, second injured at Minnesota stadium construction site

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A roofing worker died after falling on Wednesday from the roof of a football stadium being built in downtown Minneapolis for the Minnesota Vikings and a second was seriously injured, an official with the stadium general contractor said.

One worker fell about 50 feet from the edge of the roof of U.S. Bank Stadium into a snow gutter below the main roof and died as a result of his injuries, John Wood, a Mortenson Construction senior vice president, told a news conference.

The circumstances of the fall have not been verified, Wood said, adding that he did not know whether the workers were wearing harnesses or were required to do so.

He said the second worker was injured while on the roof, and did not fall as previously reported. The cause and circumstances of his injuries are under investigation, he said.

All work on the stadium has stopped, and Mortenson hopes to resume construction on Thursday, Wood said.

"A man lost his life on this project today and that simply should never happen," Wood said.

Mortenson is conducting an investigation and will work with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, he said.

Both workers were from a subcontractor on the project, Berwald Roofing Co, Wood said.

Wood said about 1,200 people are working on the project. Last week, Mortenson said the stadium was about 70 percent completed. It is scheduled to be ready for the start of the National Football League's 2016 season.

(Reporting by David Bailey in Minneapolis; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)