The concerned dad of a Lanarkshire man injured in a horror Qatar oil rig incident that has left another man dead has claimed his son was the victim of "completely unprovoked attack".
Christopher Begley, an oil worker from Coatbridge, was rushed to hospital after he was hurt in the incident at the Al Shaheen oil field on Monday.
A second man died at the scene, while a third male, who is also reportedly Scottish, is believed to have been taken into custody by Qatari police.
Speaking to Lanarkshire Live's sister paper the Daily Record outside his home in Baillieston, 38-year-old Christopher's dad Dennis, 64, revealed his son knew his alleged attacker.
Dennis claimed: "The man who attacked Christopher is someone known to him, but there was no bad feeling between them before this.
"It was completely unprovoked and makes no sense to us at all."
Dennis added that his son's injuries are not life-threatening and that the family hope they can get him home soon.
He continued: "We do know that Christopher's injuries are not life-threatening. He is in hospital but it is nothing too serious.
"We are leaving it all to the authorities and we hope he will be coming home to us soon, but there is no time frame at the moment."
Workers on the platform said the dead man was discovered in a cabin with fatal injuries on Monday.
The men worked for Ellon-based Film-Ocean Ltd, an independent subsea contractor providing remote operated vehicle (ROV) services for North Oil Company which is operating in the oil field.
A Film-Ocean spokesman said: “Film-Ocean Ltd can regretfully confirm one person has died and another has been injured following an incident on an offshore installation off the coast of Qatar.
"A third person has been taken into police custody and is assisting Qatari authorities with their inquiries.
“The next of kin of those involved have been informed, and the company is working to ensure they receive the appropriate support.
"All three personnel were contracted to Film-Ocean and were working on the platform at the time of the incident, which was reported around 1.40am Arabian Standard Time on Monday.
“Film-Ocean is liaising with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, as well as other stakeholders, to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesman added: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died and a man who has been injured in Qatar and are in contact with the local authorities.”
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