Qatar World Cup 2022 organisers confirm death of stadium worker
Various human rights organisations have denounced the conditions that many construction workers are faced with as Qatar continue their stadium development for the Fifa event.
For the first time, Qatar's World Cup organisers have announced that a worker has died in a 'work-related' incident while employed in the construction of one of the stadiums for the 2022 tournament.
Admission amidst huge condemnation
"It is with deep regret we announce a work-related fatality on one of our projects' following 'an incident on Al-Wakrah Stadium on Saturday morning," said the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy. "A full investigation is underway to determine the factors which contributed to the death of one of our workers," it added.
The statement did not identify the worker or give details on the nature of the incident.
Qatar has been widely condemned for its treatment of foreign workers. The issue of deaths among migrant labourers helping build stadiums for its $30 billion tournament has long proved controversial. Critics have claimed that 1,200 workers have already died and up to 4,000 could perish before the World Cup begins, a figure vehemently denied by Qatar.
Stadium dominated work-force
Qatar has an estimated 1.6 million migrant workers, more than 85 percent of the entire workforce, according to government figures released at the end of 2015. The number of workers employed on World Cup sites in Qatar is expected to peak at 36,000 by 2018.
In February, organisers said six labourers building stadiums for the tournament suffered work-related injuries last year but there were no fatalities. In May, it was announced an investigation had been launched into the death of an Indian worker at the Al-Bayt stadium, but organisers denied his death was work-related.
Shaped to look like a traditional dhow boat - although has received more mainstream attention due to its similarity to a vulva - Al-Wakrah stadium has a capacity of 40,000 and will be used up to the quarter-final stages in 2022.