Doha: A total of 279 Indians, who form Qatar's single largest expatriate group, died in the country last year, up from the 241 fatalities recorded in 2013. However, the data released by the Indian embassy here on Friday did not provide details about the causes of deaths. Since January this year, the number of deaths has reached 33, indicating a further increase, The Peninsula Qatar reported on Saturday. As many as 241 deaths were recorded in 2013 as compared to 237 in 2012. There are 87 Indians at the Central Prison serving their terms and 113 are awaiting deportation at the Search and Follow Up Department.

The embassy has issued 13 emergency certificates this month following requests from authorities for travel documents for Indian inmates at the department. It also issued nine air tickets for people in distress to return to India this month. Since the beginning of this year, the embassy has received 280 complaints from Indians seeking redress for their problems. The Indian community in Qatar form the country's single largest expatriate group. The exact number of Indian nationals in Qatar is not documented, but at the end of 2012, it is estimated at close to 500,000, which is approximately 26 per cent of Qatar's total population of 1.9 million, according to the Indian embassy.