More than 20,000 workers have died making Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's vision for Saudi Arabia in the last eight years, it has been revealed. A new ITV undercover documentary highlights migrant workers' stories and reveals gruelling conditions, unpaid wages and claims of abuse of human rights. Many claimed they felt "trapped like slaves" as they worked 16-hour days for 14 days straight on a multi-billion pound Neom project.
This includes The Line - a 170km-long linear city, which is said to have a 140,000-strong migrant workforce. The Middle East Eye reports how, in addition to their gruelling shifts, workers face a three-hour unpaid bus journey to the desert construction site, leaving them with barely four hours of sleep. One said: "We're made to work extremely hard.
"There is little time to rest. We get tired. We suffer from anxiety day and night.
" Another worker added: "Saudi doesn't care much for citizens from other countries. We are treated like beggars." Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia, the documentary shines a light on the "dangerous" conditions and alleged illegal practices behind some of the world's most costly building projects, as Mohammed bin Salman spearheads the transformation of the oil-rich nation into a global tourism destination.
Trillions have been poured into the Saudi Vision 2030 project, which includes ambitious developments like Neom. However, these large-scale construction projects have sparked fears of migrant labour exploitation. As per .