Qatar faces new shocking figures as deaths of Nepalese migrant workers ahead of the 2022 World Cup are at its highest level for at least three years.
According to Sportsmail, 67 Nepalese migrants died in Qatar between July 16 and November 15 since the coronavirus pandemic.
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It puts the deaths on track to reach 160 by mid-July 2021, as the human toll among the Gulf state’s second-largest migrant community has increased despite promises of reform in response to a global backlash over worker fatalities.
Nepal’s Foreign Employment Board (FEB) also exclusively revealed the previous year — July 16, 2019 to July 15, 2020 — saw 104 deaths. The FEB’s figures exclude casualties from ‘road accidents’, and are largely derived from death certificates issued in Qatar.
Four of the stadiums for the 2022 competition have already been completed, with the fourth — the Al Rayyan Stadium — inaugurated on Saturday night at the prestigious Qatar Cup final.
Qatar’s Emir Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and FIFA president Gianni Infantino were spotted watching on inside the glitzy stadium.
The International Trades Union Confederation predicts 4,000 worker fatalities in Qatar before the tournament begins in two years.