11 migrant workers dead after fire rips through labour camp in Doha
Accident will intensify scrutiny of low-wage workers’ living conditions in Qatar as it prepares to host 2022 Fifa World Cup
Eleven people were killed in a fire that broke out in housing for migrant labourers working on a tourism project in Qatar, authorities said late on Thursday.
The fire is likely to intensify scrutiny of conditions for low-wage guest workers in the wealthy Persian Gulf nation, which is being transformed by billions of dollars’ worth of construction projects as it prepares to host the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
Rights groups have repeatedly criticised Qatar’s treatment of foreign workers, who are effectively bound to their employer under a sponsorship system that activists say leaves employees open to abuse. Qatar has enacted some labour reforms and plans to implement others, but many workers still sleep in crowded, substandard housing.
The Interior Ministry said on Twitter that the fire erupted late on Wednesday in housing used by one of the companies working on the Salwa tourism project in the south of the country. It said that 12 people were hospitalised.
The ministry did not provide details on the identities of the victims. Qatari officials did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.