A senior Qatari official revealed a startling truth that 400 to 500 migrant workers were reportedly killed while working on FIFA World Cup-related projects, a huge increase from the previous official estimates.
The sum was disclosed by the event’s director; Hassan Al Tawadi in an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV on Monday. It was reported that the World Cup’s labour caused hundreds of migrant labourers to pass away.
“Between 400 and 500,” Al-Thawadi told a British reporter, adding, “I don’t know the exact number. It’s been discussed. One death is too many. It’s as simple as that.”
Al-interview Thawadi’s came after reports that there had been about 40 fatalities. most of which are fatalities that are not related to the job (think illness, not workplace accidents).
Qatar may not have yet made available accurate statistics. In fact, according to some reports, thousands of laborers perished while installing the restrooms.
It was also alleged that the working conditions were horrible and that the majority of the workforce had foreign roots.
Al-Thawadi says that after winning the bid for the venue in 2010, health and safety standards have improved while acknowledging hundreds of deaths.
“Overall, I think the need for labor reform itself shows that yes, improvements must happen. This is something we were aware of before bidding. The improvements that have happened are not because of the World Cup. These are improvements that we knew we had to do for our values.”
The World Cup, which is being held for the first time in the Arab world, is projected to cost $200 billion (including costs for new stadiums, metro lines, and infrastructure).
