Around 21,000 migrant workers have reportedly died while working on ‘The Line,’ a major component of Saudi Arabia’s futuristic NEOM city project, according to a recent documentary by British broadcaster ITV. This figure, spanning eight years of construction, amounts to over eight fatalities each day.
Additionally, the documentary claims that 100,000 more workers are unaccounted for across NEOM projects.
The workers, primarily from South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, allegedly face long hours, unpaid wages, and poor working conditions. Some workers reportedly feel “trapped,” with one Nepalese labourer found dead after calling family for help, claiming he needed to pay five months’ salary to leave his job.
The Saudi government has denied these allegations, asserting that the country’s occupational fatality rate is among the lowest globally at 1.12 per 100,000 workers. Saudi authorities argue that recent safety reforms align with International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards, which restrict outdoor work in high temperatures and require comprehensive health coverage for employees.
