Manama: A Qatari court has ordered the payment of QR1 million (Dh1 million) in blood money to the dependents of four workers who died from sewer asphyxiation.
The court also sentenced three supervisors to six months in jail each for failing to follow the expected safety and security measures.
The public prosecution had charged the contracting company and the supervisors with negligence that resulted in the death of the workers, Qatari daily Al Raya reported on Wednesday.
The drama happened when the first victim went inside the sewer to perform work requested by the company. However, as he did not emerge after some time, three co-workers went inside to offer assistance. They all died of asphyxiation from noxious gases.
Investigations concluded that the workers and site supervisors had failed to take the necessary safety and security measures followed in sewer work including wearing gas masks and carrying communication devices to eliminate risks.
Both the prosecution and the court said that the contracting company was responsible for the death of the workers.
However, its lawyer challenged the court decision and called for a non-guilty verdict.
