The death toll has provoked international outrage as Saudi Arabia moves on with Vision 2030, a multitrillion-dollar initiative intended to turn the country into a global center for technology and tourism. The Line, a 100-mile tower in the NEOM plan that has allegedly resulted in the deaths of over 21,000 migrant laborers, lies at the heart of this grandiose concept. An undercover female journalist revealed the dangerous working conditions that resulted in this startling death toll in a Channel 3 UK broadcast.
The majority of the deceased were migrant laborers from South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. Those who remain have shared harrowing stories of extreme exploitation, likening their treatment to modern slavery. Workers describe grueling 16-hour days with minimal rest and insufficient safety measures. “We get tired. We suffer from anxiety day and night,” said one laborer. Many workers endure this exploitation under strict conditions, fearing retribution and without avenues for recourse.
NEOM’s development also dislocated the indigenous Huwaitat tribe from their ancestral land. Reports by the BBC allege that non-compliant tribe members faced violent displacement, furthering the project’s contentious human rights record.
The push to complete NEOM and other Vision 2030 projects by their ambitious deadlines has compounded these dangers. With Saudi Arabia also eyeing the 2034 World Cup, its construction ambitions continue to expand, raising concerns about more potential casualties.
In response to these allegations, a NEOM representative stated that the project is “assessing the claims” made in the documentary and affirmed its commitment to NEOM’s code of conduct, which supposedly aligns with Saudi labor laws. However, the high death toll and firsthand accounts tell a different story, shedding light on a kingdom that appears to prioritize its futuristic ambitions over human rights and worker safety, underscoring the cost of rapid development at the expense of lives.