Three Pakistani firefighters, members of a local brigade, died on Wednesday in Qatar in a crane accident during training, authorities announced on Thursday, less than a month from the 2022 World Cup in the emirate (November 20 – December 18).
They specified that these three firefighters were not taking part in the vast “Watan” security exercise organized from Sunday to Thursday in preparation for the Football World Cup.
Authorities have not released details of the accident on Wednesday evening, but testimonies from friends of the three firefighters posted on social media say they were on a crane that collapsed in Hamad Port of the capital Doha.
Photos, the authenticity of which AFP could not verify, show a collapsed crane.
Fifteen foreign governments, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Palestinian territories, sent security forces and experts to participate alongside Qatar in the “Watan” exercise.
This training involved fighter jets, a simulation of a chemical attack against a stadium or the management of demonstrations. Turkey has sent 3,000 police to reinforce Qatar’s law enforcement during the World Cup. Morocco and Pakistan are also expected to send reinforcements. Some diplomats question whether these foreign forces have received adequate training to handle the million fans expected in the small Gulf emirate during the tournament.
The World 2022 Safety and Security Operations Committee assured on Twitter that the “Watan” exercise had shown “the capabilities, readiness and determination of military forces and civil authorities to face all scenarios”. .
Present in Qatar for the start of this training, General Michael Kurilla, head of Central Command which manages American forces in the Middle East, “expressed his confidence in Qatar’s ability to ensure a safe and secure World Cup this month. next”, according to a press release from this authority.