QATAR, 23 February, 2021 (TON): From India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka more than 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 10 years ago, the media reported.

Data from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka revealed there were 5,927 deaths of migrant workers in the period 2011–2020. Separately, data from Pakistan’s embassy in Qatar reported a further 824 deaths of Pakistani workers, between 2010 and 2020.

The total death toll is significantly higher, as these figures do not include deaths from a number of countries that send large numbers of workers to Qatar, including the Philippines and Kenya. Deaths that occurred in the final months of 2020 are also not included, the British newspaper reports.

As Qatar has embarked on an unprecedented building program, largely in preparation for the football tournament in 2022, in addition to seven new stadiums, dozens of major projects have been completed or are under way, including a new airport, roads, public transport systems, hotels and a new city, which will host the World Cup final.

It is likely to say that many workers who have died were employed on these World Cup infrastructure projects, as death records are not categorized by occupation or place of work.