Qatar a ‘Death Trap’ for Nepali Migrants

January 16th, 2010

Gulf Qatar Workers

Around 217 Nepali migrant workers lost their lives in Qatar in 2009, according to Nepali Ambassador Surya Nath Mishra. The rapidly-developing Gulf state has long been a favoured destination for Nepali migrant workers, many of whom are employed on construction sites. Cardiac arrest has been named as the leading cause of death among expatriate Nepalis, and is thought to be caused by a mixture of physical exertion in Qatar’s hot weather and emotional strain.

According to data from the Nepali Embassy in Doha for 2009:

40 Nepalis died in traffic accidents

23 in work-related accidents

14 from drowning

9 committed suicide

The rest died from myocardial infection or cardiac arrest

A total of 175 Nepalis died in Qatar in 2008.

The figures provide a morbid snapshot of the risks that migrants from the developing world face when they travel to the Gulf States to undertake low-paid, physical labour.

You can read the original article from the Himalayan Times here.

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  1. [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by nepalmonitor.com, Migrant Rights. Migrant Rights said: Qatar a ‘Death Trap’ for Nepali Migrants http://is.gd/6pMH8 #MigrantRights [...]

  2. [...] Qatar a ‘Death Trap’ for Nepali Migrants Around 217 Nepali migrant workers lost their lives in Qatar in 2009, according to Nepali Ambassador Surya Nath Mishra. This is a rise from the 175 documented cases of death of Nepali nationals in Qatar in 2008. The rapidly-developing Gulf state has long been a favored destination for Nepali migrant workers, many of whom are employed on construction sites. [...]

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