Human cost of Saudi Arabia's megacity as 21,000 workers dead and many 'trapped like slaves'

On paper, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's vision for Saudi Arabia looks like a futuristic dream. But in reality, 21,000 workers have died in the last eight years trying to make the vision happen. An ITV undercover documentary highlights migrant workers' stories revealing gruelling conditions, unpaid wages and claims of abuse of human rights.

Some said they feel "trapped like slaves" and treated like "beggars" working 16-hour days for 14 days straight on a multi-billion pound Neom project which includes The Line - a 170km-long linear city, which reportedly has a 140,000-strong migrant workforce. On top of long shifts, workers claim they must take an unpaid three-hour bus commute to get to the desert site and back which leaves them with around four hours to sleep, . “We’re made to work extremely hard.

There is little time to rest. We get tired. We suffer from anxiety day and night,” one worker said.

“Saudi doesn’t care much for citizens from other countries. We are treated like beggars.” The documentary called Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia delves into the "dangerous" conditions many have faced.

It also looks into the alleged illegal practices and serious violations behind some of the world's most expensive building projects. Mohammed bin Salman, a prominent figure in the Kingdom has been leading efforts to transform the oil state into a global tourism hub. He has invested trillions in his Saudi Vision 2030 project which includes ambitious developments li.