Laszlo Bodka C., Mayor of Szeged, visits BYD’s new energy passenger car factory in Szeged, Hungary on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
Second worker dies at construction site BYD An electric car factory in Szeged, Hungary, told CNBC.
The fatal accident follows a fatal accident at the site in February, and comes after BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li earlier this month denied allegations of labor abuse at the site and told CNBC that the company welcomed labor inspectors. Shenzhen-based BYD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the fatal accident.
The worker died on June 18 after attempts by paramedics to revive him failed, the Hungarian National Ambulance Service told CNBC on Monday, adding that multiple emergency units, including a rescue helicopter, were called to the scene.
Local media reported that the worker was hit by a truck at the factory’s construction site. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident, according to a Wednesday statement from the Songrad Chanard District Courthouse.
AIM Construction Hungary, a subsidiary of a construction company linked to the 2024 labor scandal at BYD’s EV factory in Brazil, has been fined 34.5 million forints ($110,350) due to occupational safety issues, the Sungrád Çanad county government announced in response to CNBC’s request for comment on the death of a second worker.
AIM Construction was also warned for a series of other violations, including delays in employee registration, violations of working time regulations and “formal defects” in employment contracts, the county office added.
Two other companies were also found to be in violation. LÉVAI-SECURITY Ltd. was fined for hiring workers without proper registration, while Plusz Kéz Ltd. was given a warning for labor inspection issues.
Earlier this year, the New York-based watchdog group China Labor Watch released a report alleging forced labor at BYD’s construction site in Szeged, including reports of employees working seven-day weeks and having their wages withheld.
BYD’s Lee previously told CNBC that BYD will begin moving production machinery onto the site in January, with full production expected in the third quarter of 2026.
