Dozens of Nepalese migrant labourers have died in Qatar in recent weeks and thousands more are enduring appalling labour abuses, according to a Guardian investigation, raising serious questions about Qatar's preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.

The published reports says that over 40 workers from Nepal have died in recent weeks, and that workers have been denied free drinking water and some essential human rights.

"This summer, Nepalese workers died at a rate of almost one a day in Qatar, many of them young men who had sudden heart attacks. The investigation found evidence to suggest that thousands of Nepalese, who make up the single largest group of labourers in Qatar, face exploitation and abuses that amount to modern-day slavery, as defined by the International Labour Organisation, during a building binge paving the way for 2022."

The Guardian stated that it obtained documents from the Nepalese embassy in Doha, stating that "at least 44 workers died between 4 June and 8 August. More than half died of heart attacks, heart failure or workplace accidents."

The allegations suggest instances of exploitation leading from poor Nepalese villages to Qatari leaders. The overall picture is of one of the richest nations exploiting one of the poorest to get ready for the world's most popular sporting tournament.