As many as 32 Nepalis lost their lives in Qatar in July, the local media there reported today. The reports said it was the deadliest month on record for Nepali expats in Qatar. “Most of the deceased were construction workers in their 20s and they died of cardiovascular diseases,” the official Doha News reported.

Citing the Second Secretary at the Embassy of Nepal in the Gulf Kingdom, Harihar Kanta Paudel, the newspaper blamed squalid working conditions as the main cause behind such a high death rate. “Many workers are going without meals, and without enough water, while working in high temperature all day.

“The weather here is very different. Our nationals are not used to harsh conditions,” the newspaper quoted Paudel. “Among the deceased, 13 Nepali migrant workers died in July due to cardiovascular diseases. Road accidents claimed 11 lives, and eight deaths were attributed to falls and other onsite accidents.

Published on: 22 August 2013 | The Himalayan Times