Over 500 migrant workers died in Qatar

More than 500 Indian migrant workers building the infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup died in Qatar, according to the official figures released by the Indian embassy in Qatar.

The figures show that 237 Indians working on Qatar died in 2012, 241 dies in 2013 while 24 died in January 2014.

“These figures for Indian deaths are a horrendous confirmation that it isn’t just Nepalese workers who are dying in Qatar,” Nicholas McGeehan, a Gulf researcher for Human Rights Watch told the British daily newspaper The Guardian.

Since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in December 2010, there have been 717 recorded Indian deaths, according to the embassy report.

No further details regarding the identity of the victims, their workplace or the cause of their death were given.

In response to the figures, the Qatari Ministry of labor and social affairs said: “We are working to understand the causes of these deaths – as these statistics could include a range of circumstances including natural causes, and road safety incidents, as well as a smaller number of workplace incidents.”

In October, the FIFA President Sepp Blatter said the football organization “wanted Qatar, and we are going to follow through,” while answering the reports revealing inhumane working conditions, and even deaths, on World Cup construction sites in the emirate.

Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, nine football stadiums are being built from scratch and three of Qatar’s existing arenas are being renovated.