(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Some 438 workers lost their passports, cash and other personal belongings in a fire that destroyed a labour camp in the Shahaniya area yesterday.
According to witnesses, the blaze started at 1pm and lasted nearly three hours before it was put out by firefighters. The affected workers, believed to be mostly Indians, Filipinos and Nepalese, are employed by a contracting company.
Philippine labour attache Leopoldo De Jesus, who later met the 70-odd Filipino workers affected by the fire, told Gulf Times that no casualties or injuries were reported as labourers who lived in the camp were working at the time of the incident. The local authorities were investigating the cause of the fire, he added.
De Jesus said that all the workers had been transferred to another camp in the same area. He noted that the employer was co-operating with embassy officials and the Qatari authorities on how to further extend help to the workers.
"All the workers have lost their clothes, travel documents and even some savings. We are urging the Filipino community and individuals to help our compatriots," said De Jesus.
He will meet Philippine ambassador Wilfredo Santos to discuss ways of extending assistance to the affected workers.
Other expatriate communities, too, have urged their members through social media to donate clothes, bags, blankets and toiletries.
It is learnt that some groups had already started collecting donations yesterday after learning about the incident on Facebook.
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