"Worker Dies at BYD Hungary Plant Construction Site, Second in 4 Months", Eletric-vehicles.com, 21 Jun 2026

A worker died at the construction site of BYD‘s first European car factory in Hungary, the second death there this year, intensifying scrutiny of labour and environmental conditions at the Chinese automaker’s upcoming plant.

The Chinese national died after being struck by a truck at the site in the southern city of Szeged, the Csongrad-Csanad county police said.

A truck moving across the site stopped beside a loader and, after the loader operator signalled that the way was clear, pulled away as the worker stepped between the two vehicles and was hit, police said.

Ambulances and a rescue helicopter were dispatched, but he could not be revived. Police have opened an investigation into causing a fatal road accident.

BYD said it was “deeply shocked” by the Thursday accident, offered condolences to the worker’s family and said it was fully cooperating with local authorities while the cause was investigated.

Construction of the plant is being carried out by a main contractor, AE Industry Hungary Kft., and subcontractors, rather than directly by BYD.

In mid-February, a worker was killed during a loading and crane operation on a Saturday shift.

AE Industry said then that it and its subcontractors were cooperating with authorities and that all companies involved were committed to full compliance with the law and safety rules. Police opened a case for negligent endangerment in the workplace resulting in death.

In May, a Chinese worker in his 40s survived after a truck ran over his leg, the ambulance service said, leaving him seriously injured but stable.

The New York-based group China Labor Watch has alleged systemic abuses at the site, including excessive hours, withheld wages, opaque pay records and irregular use of visas.