DOHA: Three Pakistani firemen died in a training accident in the Qatari capital weeks before the start of the World Cup, officials said on Thursday.

Authorities said the three were not taking part in a multi-national World Cup security exercise currently being held around Doha that includes simulations of “chemical incidents” and demonstrations.

Officials did not give details of the accident taken place late Wednesday but accounts given by friends of the three and posted on social media said they were on a crane that collapsed in Doha’s Hamad port.

Photographs accompanying the posts showed the crumpled crane. AFP could not immediately verify the pictures.

Fifteen foreign governments, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Palestinian territories, have sent security forces and experts for the Watan exercise that ended on Thursday.

Exercises have included fighter jet drills, a chemical attack on a stadium and handling demonstrations.

Turkey has sent about 3,000 police to reinforce Qatar’s domestic force during the World Cup that starts November 20 and ends December 18. Morocco and Pakistan will also reportedly send police reinforcements.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2022