Saudi Arabia: Migrant Worker Dies During World Cup Stadium Construction

A foreign worker has died while working on a stadium for the 2034 football World Cup in Saudi Arabia, The Guardian reports.

According to the British newspaper, which quotes sources knowledgeable with the incident, Pakistani worker Muhammad Arshad fell from an upper level while constructing the Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar on 12 March.

His death was confirmed by Belgian construction multinational Besix Group, whose subsidiary is one of the main contractors at the stadium.

“A team of three workers was engaged in formwork operations [creating moulds for concrete] at height when the platform they were working on tilted. While all three were equipped with personal fall-arrest systems, one worker was not connected to an anchor point at the time of the incident and fell, sustaining severe injuries,” the company said in a statement.

While emergency services were immediately called, “the worker sadly succumbed to his injuries in hospital”.

This marks the first documented death of a migrant worker linked to the 2034 World Cup, which Saudi Arabia was chosen to host.

Human rights groups have vehemently expressed their opposition to holding the global tournament in the kingdom in view of its rights record, also warning of the risks migrant workers would face due to the country’s poor track record on that subject.

The Guardian says workers were called to a meeting following Arshad’s death and instructed to delete any video footage of the incident while refraining from talking to anyone about it.

“Safety is and remains our absolute priority […] The authorities are conducting a full inquiry, and we are fully cooperating to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy,” the company added.

Arshad’s father, Mohammed Bashir, told The Guardian they have “just fallen from the sky to the ground. The whole family is in a state of shock”.

Arshad was also his three sons’ only source of income. A relative in Saudi Arabia informed Bashir that the family would be receiving his son’s outstanding salary and benefits.

Saudi labour law obliges employers to also pay compensation in the event of a death at work.

The Aramco Stadium is one of 11 venues being built ahead of the 2034 World Cup. The 47,000 seater is owned by Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco, Fifa’s most lucrative sponsor.

A Daily Mail investigation last year found that some migrant workers at the stadium were enduring “shocking conditions”.

The workers said they were saddled with debts due to fees they were forced to pay to enter Saudi Arabia and were housed in grim, cramped rooms while working for 10 hours a day under the 45C summer heat.

Besix says they “made significant strides” in protecting workers’ rights, while Aramco says the safety and wellbeing of their employees is “our highest priority”.

“The company follows industry best practices in managing and reporting incidents, including determining the facts, sequence of events and root causes,” it said in a statement.