UNIMAGINABLE

Qatar Official Admits ‘Between 400 and 500’ Worker Deaths for World Cup

The shocking figure is an order of magnitude higher than those previously reported by Doha.

One of the most senior officials involved in organizing the controversial Qatar World Cup on Monday estimated that “between 400 and 500” migrant workers died in projects connected to the soccer tournament, a figure much higher than those previously released by authorities in Doha. Hassan Al-Thawadi, secretary-general of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, revealed the grisly estimate during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan. “What is the honest, realistic total, do you think, of migrant workers who died from…as a result of work they’re doing for the World Cup in totality?” “The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500,” al-Thawadi responded. “I don’t have the exact number. That’s something that’s been discussed.” The Supreme Committee had previously released reports putting the number of deaths at 40 for the period from 2014 to 2021, of which only three were listed as workplace incidents. “One death is a death too many. Plain and simple,” al-Thawadi added in the interview.