World Cup chief Hassan Al-Thawadi said between 400 and 500 migrant workers have died as a result of work on projects related to the tournament – a larger number than Qatari officials have previously stated.
In an interview with Piers Morgan that aired Monday on TalkTV, Al-Thawadi was asked about the number of migrant worker deaths as a result of the work to prepare Qatar for the tournament.
Al-Thawadi said three were killed in incidents directly related to the construction of the stadiums, with 37 deaths attributed to other reasons.
Pressed by Morgan over the number of deaths among migrant workers in the wider effort to get Qatar ready for the World Cup, he said:
“The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500. I don’t have the exact number, that’s something that has been discussed. One death is too many, simple as that.”
Al-Thawadi added: “I think the health and safety standards at the venues are improving every year, at least at our sites, the World Cup venues, the ones we are responsible for, certainly.”
A spokesman for Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy confirmed on Tuesday that there had been three work-related deaths during the construction of World Cup stadiums and 37 non-work-related deaths.
“Separate quotes regarding figures refer to national statistics covering the period 2014-2020 for all work-related fatalities (414) nationwide in Qatar, across all sectors and nationalities,” the spokesperson added in a statement.
DailyExpertNews asked the committee for an explanation of the apparent discrepancy between Al-Thawadi’s reference to migrant workers and his statement’s reference to “all nationalities”, but it did not respond.
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