By J. Ratna
A dead body was found on Thursday inside a water reservoir at a residential building in Al Wakra, after residents there complained that murky water had been flowing through their faucets for at least two days.
UPDATE | July 28, 2013, 9:35am
According to Gulf Times, the victim was an Asian expat who was working as a janitor for the building. A source told the newspaper that “he used a ladder to climb down the tank but it apparently broke down, trapping him inside.”
The building houses mostly expats working for the Mesaieed-based Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO) and their families.
A receptionist at the company, which is a subsidiary of Qatar Petroleum, confirmed the discovery of the body to Doha News and said the deceased was not a QAFCO employee.
Members of the apartment building’s maintenance staff apparently discovered the body, which has not been officially identified, on Thursday morning after some residents reported that foul-smelling water was coming out of their taps. One resident told Doha News:
“The water was smelling very bad – So bad that the smell spread throughout my house. I’m just glad that we drink bottled water.”
Other residents, who were informed about what happened through a circular distributed to tenants, appeared visibly shaken by the discovery and said they wished to forget all about the ordeal.
Maintenance guessed that the body was in the reservoir for at least two days, judging from the smell and the spread of the contaminated water.
There have been no reports of anyone growing ill from the tainted water, and not all residents were affected, because the building has several tanks.
Police arrived at the scene early Thursday morning and promptly had the remains removed and the reservoir replaced. It is unclear how the deceased got into the tank, though he might have been cleaning it. The only opening appeared to be through a hatch at the top, and once inside, it would have been difficult to climb out.
According to one resident, the body belonged to a man who was at least 60 years old.
Thoughts?
