Three people killed and several injured on construction site in Qatar

Three workers have died and several others were injured in an incident on a construction site for a Qatar Armed Forces project, officials have disclosed.

In a statement on QNA yesterday, the Ministry of Defense expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to those who got hurt.

The ministry did not say what happened or when. It also did not elaborate on how many people were injured, or offer any identifying details about those who were killed.

Additionally, no pledge was made to investigate the cause of the incident.

However, officials did stress their “commitment to abide by the highest safety standards in all its facilities.”

Transparency

Though little information was shared about the incident was made public, the disclosure is nonetheless a rare one.

This could be in part because such accidents are uncommon.

According to figures that Qatar shared with the UN earlier this year, only 35 expats were killed while on the job in 2016.

However, the announcement also comes as authorities are taking steps to become more transparent about Qatar’s labor class.

World Cup organizers for example have announced two construction worker deaths in recent months.

The country has also been introducing labor reforms ahead of the tournament. These include changes to its sponsorship law, a new Wage Protection System (WPS) and a draft law protecting house help.

Meanwhile, Qatar is facing a potential inquiry from a United Nations agency about human rights abuses.

Following complaints from unions, the International Labor Organization (ILO) has given the nation until November to prove that its new reforms are doing enough to protect blue-collar residents.