Kingdome Repairs Delayed for Accident Investigation

Round-the-clock scrambling to repair the Kingdome was put on hold Thursday by an investigation into the deaths of two workers in a crane accident at the stadium.

“Two people have died. I am not concerned about the Seahawks and the Mariners and about an opening game,” King County Executive Gary Locke said during a news conference.

State investigators have made a preliminary finding of cable failure, said Mark O. Brown, director of the state Department of Labor and Industries, which is investigating the deaths with King County police.

It was not clear how long the investigation at the accident site would take, Brown said.

Dick Sandaas, who took over as interim director of the Kingdome on Monday, said he couldn’t estimate when work might resume other than that it would be days--and only after the repair program had been reviewed.

Wednesday’s accident, which killed two men and injured one, probably will change plans to reopen the Kingdome by Sept. 18, the date of the Seahawks’ NFL home opener against San Diego.

“We’re going to remain flexible at this point,” Seahawk President David Behring said at club headquarters.

Killed in the crane accident were painters Jorge Sanchez Turincio, 39, of San Diego and William Lynn Louth, 37, of Portland. Crane operator Charles Cox, 25, of Edmonds is in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center.