Chinese workers found in ‘slavery-like conditions’ in Brazil taken to hotels as probe gets underway

CAMACARI, Brazil (AP) — Dozens of Chinese workers found by authorities in poor condition at a construction site in Brazil for electric vehicle automaker BYD have been taken and placed in hotels in the country’s tropical northeast region.

Local prosecutors alleged that the laborers are victims of human trafficking who were living in “slavery-like conditions” under contractor Jinjiang Group, but offered no evidence to back up their claims.

It’s unclear if the Chinese workers were in Brazil without proper papers and working permits. The Bahia state Labor Prosecutor’s Office could not comment when reached by The Associated Press, saying an investigation was underway.

The prosecutor’s office revealed on Monday the discovery of the 163 workers and their circumstances, and urged the company to place them at local hotels in Camacari, a city of 300,000 residents located about 1,600 kilometers (997 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro.

A video from the prosecutor’s office showed dorms belonging to the construction site, with beds without mattresses and rudimentary cooking facilities.

The Chinese automaker BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, is one of the world’s largest producers of electric cars. Earlier this week, it said it would “immediately terminate the contract” with the contractor and was “studying other appropriate measures.”

BYD did not reply to a request from The Associated Press for comment and it was not immediately clear if Brazilian prosecutors had raised charges in the case.

But in a statement posted on Thursday, BYD said it objected to reports about poor conditions at the site in Brazil, where it is building a factory, saying the allegations were a smearing campaign aimed at China and Chinese brands.

The facilities where the Chinese workers were found is expected to start production next year.

On Friday, local residents in Camacari said many of the Chinese workers had come and already left the town. Their whereabouts were not clear and it was also unknown who was handling them at this point.

___ Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.