Pakistan firemen killed during Qatar training exercise

DOHA: Three firemen from Pakistan have died in a training accident in Qatar just weeks before the start of the World Cup, officials have confirmed.

Authorities said the three were not taking part in a multi-national World Cup security exercise currently being held around Doha that includes simulations of "chemical incidents" and demonstrations.

But accounts given by friends of the three and posted on social media said they were on a firetruck-mounted crane that collapsed in Doha's main Hamad Port as part of a separate training exercise.

Officials did not give details of the accident late Wednesday.

Photographs circulating on social media appeared to show the crumpled crane whose walkway seemed to have buckled midway up the structure.

The images showed how the metal frame had folded at a precarious angle, sending the upper section of the crane smashing into the roof of an adjacent building.

Timestamps on the images suggested the incident unfolded on Tuesday morning.

Initial reports suggested the three victims were Qatari and Kuwaiti nationals, but these theories were challenged by a relative of one of the victims who confirmed to Doha News that the men, all three in their 30s, were of Pakistani origin.

The trio were identified as Yosef Mindar, Kaleem Allah, and Jalal. Mindar, a father of two, had lived his entire life in the Gulf state.

The two other victims have families based in Pakistan, according to Doha News' report.