ISLAMABAD/RIYADH - In an unfortunate incident 10 Pakistani workers were killed when an under-construction building collapsed at Al-Qassim University in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia.
As per an Asian diplomatic source, the bodies of six Pakistanis had been pulled from the rubble and rescuers were trying to free the bodies of two more, the diplomatic source said. The diplomat said three other people wounded in the collapse had also died, including two more Pakistanis and an Indian.
According to the Chief Executive of the Manazel Construction Company, Ahmad Othaim, two Pakistani workers are still missing.
Mohammed Abdullah Abdul Aziz, a spokesman for the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, gave a different toll, saying seven people had died.
He did not give the nationalities of the victims. Police sniffer dogs and fire department cameras were assisting in the search for two other workers believed still trapped under the concrete. Abdul Aziz said ambulances transported a total of 10 injured to hospitals, while 20 others were less seriously hurt. The diplomatic source said he understood that steel mesh had been laid and foundation columns were in place.
"When they started pouring concrete, that was when the load was too much" for the columns, he said. Pictures from the scene showed a sprawling but low-level construction site, where many steel support rods had collapsed along with other parts of the structure inside a wide circular area. Millions of foreign workers from impoverished countries in Asia are employed at a variety of jobs in Saudi Arabia, including construction work. The diplomatic source said Egyptians and Bangladeshis also worked on the site. Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam in a statement issued on Tuesday said Pakistan's embassy officials were present at Al-Qassim to coordinate and supervise arrangements for treatment of the injured and dispatch of bodies to Pakistan.
She said Pakistani ambassador was in constant contact with the chief executive of the Manazel Construction Company, who has assured of full cooperation with the embassy of Pakistan for the best possible treatment of the injured and expeditious dispatch of bodies to Pakistan.
She said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Pakistani embassy in Riyadh would continue to monitor the situation.
The families of Pakistanis employed by Manazel Construction Company can contact the embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh at 00966-571870352 and 00966-571862623.  Manazel Construction, the company working on the project, issued a statement saying nine people died when a section of the second-floor roof collapsed.
"The incident occurred while concrete was being poured to form the roof. At the time of the partial collapse, 90 percent of the concrete had been poured. We are continuing our investigation to understand the exact causes of the accident and will make the results public as soon as it is completed," the company said.