By Ralph Hayden
Six National Football League workers were injured yesterday after getting hit by melting ice and snow, which came down from the curved roof of Cowboys Stadium in Texas. The workers, two of whom got injured critically, were preparing for the Super Bowl. The critically injured workers were taken admitted to nearby hospitals. The accident happened about 1:15 p.m. local time, said Arlington Fire Department Lieutenant Pedro Arevalo.

Arevalo added that the workers were making preparation for tomorrow's NFL's championship game when the ice slid from the roof and hit them. "When the ice falls at such a high altitude, it catches wind and it can go roughly 60 to 70 feet away from the stadium," Arevalo said. "It was on the northeast side of the stadium, where it slopes down."

Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the NFL, said in an e-mail to media houses that the stadium authorities closed down all entrances to the stadium except for the truck tunnel. The tunnel was not closed as it is away from the building by a very safe distance. "All workers and visitors will now enter and exit through the tunnel until further notice," McCarthy said.

Arevalo added that the police will continue to stick with the fenced-off perimeter "until the ice is all gone" or until police and fire officials give permission to enter the stadium again, Arevalo said. The stadium was prepared at a cost of $1.2 billion and it opened last season. The stadium is set to host Super Bowl XLV between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.