Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Worker dies after falling ill at World Cup site

World Cup organizers say a worker has died after falling ill on the site of one of the stadiums being constructed for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy said Saturday that 48-year-old Indian national Jaleshwar Prasad died after he "fell ill on-site around 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday."

The statement says that Prasad, who was a steel worker employed on the Al Bayt Stadium project, "received first aid treatment until paramedics arrived. He was transferred to Al Khor Hospital but sadly passed away around 11.30 a.m. Al Khor Hospital reported the cause of death as cardiac arrest."

It adds that "a full investigation is underway."

Qatar is often criticized by rights groups and trade unions for alleged abuses and deaths on a range of construction projects linked to the 2022 World Cup since it won hosting rights in 2010.

Qatar is relying heavily on construction workers from south Asia.

A FIFA-appointed human rights expert from Harvard University recently advised that tournaments should be moved from countries where abuses persisted.

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