Nearly 6,000 Nepali migrant workers die in foreign countries: government

KATHMANDU, April 28  — Around 6,000 Nepali migrant workers have lost their lives in the last nine years while serving in various foreign countries, said a Nepali government report.
A total of 5,892 Nepalis – 5,765 male and 127 female, died in at least 28 destination countries as migrant workers, said a report named “Labor Migration for Employment – A Status Report for Nepal: 2015-162016-2017” unveiled in Kathmandu on Friday.
The highest number of Nepalis died in Malaysia with death of 2,154, followed by Saudi Arabia (1,638), Qatar (1,203), the United Arab Emirates (427) and Kuwait (186).
Likewise, other countries where significant deaths of Nepalis occurred include Bahrain (77), Republic of Korea (77), Oman (47), Lebanon (20), and Afghanistan (19). These countries are among the most sought-after job destination among Nepali workers.
The highest number of Nepalis died in fiscal year 2014-15 with death of 1,006, while the lowest number (90) was in fiscal year 2008-09.
The report was prepared by Nepal’s Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, with support from two United Nations bodies – International Organization for Migration , the International Labour Organization – and the Asia Foundation.
According to the report, as many as 1,351 saw natural death while a significant number – 1,144 died due to cardiac arrest. However, 917 cases were categorized into non-identified category. A total of 798 Nepalis died due to road accidents while 650 people committed suicide, according to report. As many as 51 cases of murder of Nepalis were reported during the nine-year period.
“To understand further, the causes of the migrant worker’s death, an in-depth investigation of the autopsies and medical records in the destination countries would require,” the report suggested.
During the launching ceremony, Nepal’s Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista said the report identified the key areas to bring reforms in foreign employment sector.
Nepal is heavily dependent on remittances sent by migrant workers for import financing as well as various economic activities in the country.
Nepal received remittances worth 471 billion Nepali Rupees (4.39 billion U.S. dollar) as of the first eight months of the current fiscal year (by mid-March), according to Nepal’s central bank.
A total of 246,324 Nepalis made fresh departure while additional 172,424 Nepalis made reentry to the destination countries during same eight month period, according to Department of Foreign Employment.

Xinhua