A 54-year-old construction worker died on Friday afternoon while working on the renovation of FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium, Catalan regional police said. Emergency services were called to the site at around 3.30 p.m. but could not revive him. Police said the worker is believed to have died as a result of a blow.

The death is the first fatal accident at the stadium since redevelopment work began in June 2023, according to local authorities. Police have opened an investigation and, following standard protocol, have notified the duty court and the Catalan government’s department of business and labour. The worker’s identity has not been released.

The Camp Nou rebuild, which aims to expand capacity to 105,000 spectators, began three years ago but has been delayed by planning complications and complaints over working conditions, local media have reported. The current phase of work is focused in part on installing a compression ring to support the stadium’s roof structure. Completion is projected for early 2028, and the project has employed thousands of workers.

The renovation has experienced previous incidents. In October 2024, a fight between groups of Romanian and Albanian workers left six people injured and resulted in around 20 dismissals, according to Spanish media. Despite Friday’s fatality, the club has communicated that the construction schedule remains unchanged, those outlets reported.

Catalan authorities have not released further details about the precise circumstances of the blow or the safety conditions at the time of the accident. The investigation by the Mossos d’Esquadra, the regional police, continues.