Roof incident leaves 1 dead, 1 injured at Minnesota Vikings' new stadium

— -- MINNEAPOLIS -- A construction worker at the  Minnesota Vikings' new stadium died after a 50-foot fall Wednesday morning while doing roofing work.

A second worker also is hospitalized in serious condition, though an executive for Mortenson Construction said it wasn't yet clear how he suffered his injuries.

The employees of Berwald Roofing were working on the north side of the project when the incident happened at about 7:45 a.m., said John Wood, a vice president for Mortenson Construction, the general contractor.

The workers received medical attention on site before being taken to a hospital, where one was pronounced dead on arrival and the other was in serious condition.

Wood said he didn't know if the man who died was wearing a harness or other safety equipment.

"Today is an extremely sad day for the Minnesota Vikings organization and the entire stadium team," the Vikings said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. "Our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the individual who passed away, the worker who remains hospitalized, and the more than 1,000 dedicated construction workers who are on the site every day and are also affected by this accident."

Work on the project was stopped for the day.

U.S. Bank Stadium is expected to open in fall 2016. The stadium, which will cost more than $1 billion, is being built on the site of the team's former stadium, the Metrodome, on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.