Dubai: A video showing Jordanian and Lebanese men working at Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) in Kazakhstan getting beaten up has gone viral on social media.
According to accounts on social media, the men were beaten after one of them published an offensive image of a Kazakh woman and refered to her as a ‘prositute’.
According to Jordan’s foreign ministry, five Jordanian engineers sustained minor injuries on Thursday after they, along with other Arab nationals, were attacked by local employees due to what was reported to be a “personal dispute”, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
Circulated videos purpotedly showed employees being beaten up at the CCC site in Tengiz, 2,200km from the capital Astana, which employs 107 Jordanian nationals, but the ministry reported that all Jordanians were transported to safety and are in good condition.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah said that the Jordanian ambassador in Astana officially requested that the Kazakhstani authorities take immediate security measures to ensure the safety of Jordanian employees.
Kazakhstani authorities transported all Jordanians from the site to Atyrau city following the request, according to Qudah.
The spokesperson affirmed that the nationals involved in the incident received the proper medical treatment, adding that currently “there are no Jordanians in hospitals”.
A statement from the company, posted on the Kazakhstani embassy’s Facebook page, said that some 30 employees received medical treatment due to injuries resulting from the assault, which stemmed from a “personal dispute” between two employees, noting that “none are in a life-threatening condition”.
The company said that work at the site has been temporarily suspended, and that local security forces are present on location.
In a tweet later in the day, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi noted that the Jordanian ambassador was scheduled to fly to Atyrau Sunday morning to check on the Jordanian employees.
Meanwhile, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, said efforts were on to rescue the Indians trapped in Kazakhstan. Taking to Twitter, the minister said that the Indian embassy has been alerted and directed to offer assistance.
"Got reports about Indian citizens hurt in a conflict between foreign workers and locals near Tengiz oil field, Kazakhstan. Have alerted our Mission @indembastana to check this and extend necessary assistance," tweeted Muraleedharan.
Following the report, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted, "NORKA has requested the Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan to take necessary steps to ensure the safety of Indian employees. State government has also requested the embassy for the details of the stranded Indians."
