138 Nepali workers die in Saudi Arabia in nine months

KATHMANDU: Over the past nine months, 138 Nepali workers have lost their lives in Saudi Arabia. All the deceased were migrant workers employed in the Gulf nation.

According to the Embassy of Nepal in Riyadh, a total of 138 Nepali workers died between July 16, 2024 and March 23.

Nepal’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr Naresh Bikram Dhakal, said that the bodies of 121 individuals have been repatriated to Nepal, while the process is ongoing for 17 others. “Most deaths were caused by workplace accidents, suicides, traffic accidents, drowning and asphyxiation. Some workers died of natural causes, while the reasons for many remain unclear,” Dhakal added.

A breakdown provided by the embassy shows that among the 138 deaths, 70 workers died of natural causes, 16 committed suicide, 16 died in workplace accidents, and 21 lost their lives in traffic accidents. The cause of death for 15 has not been determined.

Ambassador Dhakal said that the embassy has been working to ensure that the families of the deceased receive due compensation and insurance benefits from their employers.

However, concerns have been raised about the lack of transparency in reporting the actual causes of death. Hospitals in Saudi Arabia often label deaths as “natural causes” or “heart attacks”, obscuring the truth, according to sources.

Kul Bahadur Karki, former chairperson and advisor of the Migrant Nepali Coordination Committee, told Himal Press that, except for deaths due to accidents, suicides, traffic crashes, or drowning, the real reasons behind Nepali workers’ deaths in Saudi Arabia are rarely revealed. He further explained that postmortems are not conducted for deaths declared as “natural” or due to “heart attacks”, leaving over half of the cases unexplained. Karki also alleged that families of such workers are denied compensation by both the Saudi government and insurance companies. “The government and the embassy have been failing to negotiate effectively with Saudi authorities on this issue,” he added.

According to the embassy, families of 70 workers, who died of “natural causes”, in the past nine months did not receive any compensation.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor has been providing Rs 1 million in compensation to families of deceased migrant workers. Additionally, through mandatory insurance, families receive up to Rs 700,000, as per the Foreign Employment Board Secretariat.

Repatriating bodies from Saudi Arabia takes between two weeks to a month, while cases involving suicide can take up to three months, according to Dr Dhakal. “Discussions are ongoing with relevant authorities to streamline the process,” he added.

Former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Uday Raj Pandey, said that the embassy often accepts bodies without thoroughly investigating the actual cause of death. “This is a weakness on our part,” he admitted.

He suggested that Nepal should engage in diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia regarding deaths labeled as “natural” or “heart attacks.”

Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, Sharat Singh Bhandari, said rising temperatures have increased heart and urinary tract infections among workers in Gulf countries. He added that efforts are underway to make health screening agencies more accountable.

According to the Foreign Employment Board Secretariat, over 14,000 Nepali workers have died abroad since the fiscal year 2008/09, with more than 2,500 deaths occurring in Saudi Arabia alone.