A second worker has died at the construction site of BYD's electric vehicle factory in Szeged, Hungary, according to CNBC.
Hungary's National Ambulance Service confirmed that the June 18 death occurred when efforts by paramedics to revive the worker were unsuccessful; a rescue helicopter was among the emergency units that responded to the scene. Reports in local media indicated the worker was hit by a lorry at the site, and the Csongrád-Csanád County Government Office said in a statement that an investigation into the incident is underway.
The fatality follows a death at the site in February. BYD did not respond to requests for comment on the latest death.
The Csongrád-Csanád County Government Office disclosed that a 34,500,000-forint ($110,350) occupational security fine was levied against AIM Construction Hungary Ltd., which is a subsidiary of the construction company that was at the center of a 2024 labor scandal at a BYD plant in Brazil. Separate warnings were issued to the company citing problems that encompassed registration of employees being delayed, irregularities in how working time rules were applied, and contract documentation that did not meet formal requirements. The government office's findings extended to two additional companies: unregistered workers on LÉVAI-SECURITY Ltd.'s payroll resulted in a fine, while Plusz Kéz Ltd. was put on notice for deficiencies in how it oversaw labor at the site.
The deaths come amid sustained scrutiny of labor conditions at the Szeged site. A report released earlier this year by China Labor Watch, a watchdog organization based in New York, accused the Szeged construction site of forced labor practices, pointing to workers who went without days off for entire weeks and were denied pay they were owed. BYD executive vice president Stella Li denied those allegations earlier this month and told CNBC the automaker welcomed labor inspectors.
Li Chiang, executive director of China Labor Watch, told The World that while some gains have been made — including a rollback of the most grueling schedules from seven consecutive workdays to six, and the repatriation of workers who lacked proper immigration status — serious concerns at the site have not been resolved. He added that workers had reported surveillance of their digital communications, with those found to have spoken about the site's conditions facing financial penalties and other disciplinary consequences.
Equipment has been arriving at the Szeged facility since January, and the company has indicated it expects the plant to be fully operational sometime in the third quarter of 2026.