Nepal

Nepali dies in Qatar World Cup stadium

Nepali dies in Qatar World Cup stadium

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Foreign workers walk between safety barricades at the site of the pitch of the Al-Wakra Stadium that is under construction for the 2022 World Cup in Doha, Qatar, on May 4, 2015. Migrant labourers faced abuse that in some cases amounted to forced labor while working on a stadium that will host soccer matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a new report released by Amnesty International alleged Thursday, March 31, 2016. Photo: AP

DOHA: Qatar's investigation into the death of a Nepali worker on a 2022 World Cup stadium construction site has led to 'extended over-sight' of health and safety procedures, officials said Wednesday. The man, who organisers have said was the first to die in a work-related accident, was named Wednesday as Anil Kumar Pasman from the Himalayan. He was 29 when he was killed while working on Al Wakrah Stadium last month. Pasman was hit by a water tanker whose driver 'was tragically unaware of his colleague's close proximity' and out of sight, the stadium's contractors and World Cup organisers said. 'This tragedy serves as a profound reminder there is always more to be done — no matter how far we have come in terms of implementing health and safety on our sites,' said Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the World Cup organising committee. 'We will learn from this tragic event in order to prevent any repeat in the future,' he added. The tiny, gas-rich country is relying on its large workforce of Asian labourers to build stadiums and related infrastructure for the first World Cup in the Middle East.