Doha, Qatar: A 40-year-old British man has died while working on a Qatar 2022 World Cup stadium site, tournament organisers in the Gulf emirate announced.

The Briton who died Thursday was working on the Khalifa International Stadium, which will also be the venue for the World Athletics Championships in 2019.

He has not yet been named.

"Earlier today (Thursday), a 40-year-old British male lost his life working on Khalifa International Stadium," the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the body overseeing the organisation for Qatar 2022, said in a statement.

The dead man's family have been informed and an investigation launched, said the Supreme Committee.

No cause of death has yet been announced.

"The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy shares our deepest condolences with the family for their loss," added the statement.

It said more details would be released and a further statement was expected later on Friday.

A British Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with the local authorities following the death of a British national in Qatar and are ready to support their family at this very difficult time."

Renovation work on Khalifa is set to be completed later this year, making it the first stadium to be ready for the World Cup in five years' time.

The stadium is being increased in size from a current capacity of 40,000 to more than 68,000 and will be used up to the quarter-final stage in 2022.

The main contractors at Khalifa are Qatari company Midmac and Six Construct, part of Belgian construction giant Besix.

A spokesperson for Besix however told AFP that the man who died was working for a German sub-contractor group, which specialises in cable laying.

The tragedy occurred at the same stadium where last year Amnesty International claimed some migrant workers suffered abuse, including forced labour.

The death is the latest incident to hit the controversial World Cup.

Last October, a Nepalese labourer, Anil Kumar Pasman, died after being hit by a lorry while working at another Qatar World Cup stadium, Al-Wakrah.

Pasman's death was the first "work-related" fatality announced by World Cup organisers in Qatar.

Around 20,000 Britons are thought to be living in Qatar.