160 workers are rescued from slavery conditions at a factory of the Chinese company BYD in Brazil

Brazilian authorities are investigating what appears to be a case of slavery at the construction site of BYD's factory in Brazil. The Chinese automobile company intends to relocate some phases of its production in Brazil to its Brazilian subsidiary, BYD Auto do Brasil.

According to what the Brazilian government reported, more than 160 workers employed for the construction of the factory were rescued from conditions defined as "analogous" to slavery. On Tuesday, the Brazilian Labor Prosecutor's Office released videos showing the dormitories where the construction workers were housed—barracks with extremely poor living conditions.

BYD's subsidiary in Brazil announced that it terminated "with immediate effect" the contract of the outsourced company responsible for the work, Jinjiang Construction Brazil Ltd, another local subsidiary of a Chinese company aimed at expanding China's commercial and business influence in South America.

This brings to a complete halt the construction of what was planned to be BYD's largest electric vehicle factory outside Asia. The works are located in the state of Bahia, in the center of the country.

According to AFP, which has consulted the Brazilian Public Ministry of Labor, all of the rescued workers are Chinese nationals. The MPT reported "a particularly critical sanitary situation, with barely one bathroom for 31 workers, forcing them to wake up at 4 a.m. to line up in order to get ready before going to work."

The MPT also reported suspicions of "forced labor," as the workers coming from China "had their passports confiscated" and their employer "withheld 60% of their salary," while "they received the other 40% in Chinese currency,"

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated Wednesday that its embassy and consulates in Brazil "are in communication with the Brazilian authorities to verify the situation and handle it appropriately."