Report: More Than 400 Nepalese Workers Have Died On Qatar's World Cup Building Sites

A report will reveal this week that more than 400 Nepalese migrant workers "have died on Qatar's building sites as the Gulf state prepares to host the World Cup in 2022," according to Jamie Doward of the London GUARDIAN. The "grim statistic" comes from the Pravasi Nepali Coordination Committee, "a respected human rights organisation which compiles lists of the dead using official sources in Doha." It will "pile new pressure" on the Qatari authorities and FIFA "to curb a mounting death toll that some are warning could hit 4,000 by the time the 2022 finals take place." It also "raises the question" of how many migrant workers in total have died on construction sites since Qatar won the bid in '10. Nepalese workers comprise 20% of Qatar's migrant workforce, and many others are drafted in from countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Qatar's World Cup authorities "recently issued detailed guidelines that they hope will address concerns about their employment laws" (GUARDIAN, 2/15).