Television footage from Salvador, capital of Bahia state, showed a hole in the floor of the stadium's upper tier and the bodies of several people who had apparently fallen onto the street below.

About 60,000 people were in Fonte Nova stadium at the time of the accident, Sportv said.

The collapse occurred toward the end of the game, but Sportv said most people became aware of it only after the final whistle.

Television images showed hundreds of people swarming onto the field after the game between Bahia and Vila Nova from Goiania.

Civil defence officials in Salvador were not immediately available for comment. © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation