RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — A team of Brazilian prosecutors has reported the rescue of 163 Chinese workers who were allegedly subjected to “slavery-like” conditions at a construction site in northeastern Brazil, where the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD is in the process of establishing a factory.


On Tuesday, the Labor Prosecutor’s Office shared videos showing the deplorable living conditions of these workers, which featured dormitories lacking proper bedding and personal storage space.


The statement released on Monday revealed that these workers were recruited from China by Jinjiang Construction Brazil, a contractor involved in the project located in Camaçari, within the Salvador metropolitan area.


Authorities indicated that Jinjiang Construction Brazil had seized the workers’ passports and withheld 60% of their salaries. Furthermore, they stated that anyone who chose to leave would be required to repay the company for their airfare from China as well as the cost of their return flight.


Attempts to contact Jinjiang Construction in Brazil were unsuccessful, as no reliable phone number or email address was available at the time.


BYD, recognized as one of the leading producers of electric vehicles globally, announced late Monday that it would “immediately terminate the contract” with the Jinjiang entity and is exploring additional measures to address the situation.


The company confirmed that the affected workers would be temporarily accommodated in nearby hotels and reassured that they would not face any negative consequences from the suspension of work at the site. BYD also noted that it had been evaluating the working conditions at the construction site in recent weeks and had advised its contractors that necessary “adjustments” would need to take place.


Prosecutors highlighted that the sanitary conditions at the BYD site in Camaçari were critically alarming, revealing a ratio of one toilet for every 31 workers. This situation compelled laborers to wake up at 4 a.m. in order to secure their place in line and prepare to leave for work by 5:30 a.m.


According to Brazilian law, conditions akin to slavery are defined by forced labor, excessive working hours, degrading work environments, and limitations on workers’ freedom of movement.