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RIO OLYMPIC BLAZE

Fire breaks out in Rio de Janeiro Olympic village just days ahead of opening ceremony

Aussie athletes among those forced to flee accommodation after blaze

AUSSIE athletes have been evacuated from the Rio de Janeiro Olympic village after a fire broke out in their accommodation.

Dozens of athletes were pictured huddled outside the building in the latest disaster to hit the Games - just a week ahead of the opening ceremony.

No one is reported to have been hurt and the team has now returned to the building.

 Aussie athletes were forced to evacuated the Rio Olympic village after a fire broke out in their accommodation, local media has reported
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Aussie athletes were forced to evacuated the Rio Olympic village after a fire broke out in their accommodation, local media has reportedCredit: AP:Associated Press

The Australian Olympic team tweeted: "There has been a small fire in the basement of the team building in the Olympic Village.

"All athletes and staff were evacuated and are fine."

Australian athletes had complained of poor conditions within the village before moving in this week.

Other nations had reported unfinished and dirty rooms.

Belarus athletes embarrassed organisers by posting snaps of the village's squalid conditions to social media.

 The Belarussian Olympic team has criticised the unfinished state of the Olympic village
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The Belarussian Olympic team has criticised the unfinished state of the Olympic village
 The snaps they posted to social media showed unfinished and uncomfortable living conditions
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The snaps they posted to social media showed unfinished and uncomfortable living conditions
 Pictured showed the drainage system was now working as mucky water filled the shower floor
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Pictured showed the drainage system was now working as mucky water filled the shower floorCredit: Belarus Olympic Committee

The incident is the latest blunder to blight Brazil's first Olympics - which gets under way next Friday.

A body was pulled from Guanabara Bay last month at the venue where the sailing event is set to take place.

While fears over the Zika virus threat have hit preparations for the sporting extravaganza.


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