By Fabio Teixeira RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -Brazilian officials found 163 Chinese nationals working in "slavery-like conditions" at a construction site for a factory owned by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD in Brazil's Bahia state,

The Chinese automaker is known for using cheap labor to reduce the price of its EVs, with Brazil becoming its largest overseas market.

BYD Co. has severed ties with a construction firm after Brazilian authorities halted construction of a new electric-vehicle plant where workers were found working and living in “slavery”-like conditions.

"Slavery-like conditions", as defined by Brazilian law, include debt bondage and work that violates human dignity. The MPT added that the situation also constitutes "forced labour", as many workers had their wages withheld and faced excessive costs for terminating their contracts. BYD said affected workers had been moved to hotels.

Brazilian officials discovered 163 Chinese workers in slavery-like conditions at a BYD factory construction site in Bahia. Workers faced withheld passports, long hours, and unsafe environments, sparking an

BYD has cut ties with its contractor Jinjiang Construction Brazil Ltd, and pledged to protect the rights of all subcontracted workers

About 163 workers were found in slavery-like conditions at a construction site for carmaker BYD in Brazil's Bahia state, labor authorities said during a press conference on Monday. According to authorities,

Brazil's Public Labor Prosecutor's Office said workers were put in a degrading environment and had their passports and salaries withheld by a building company.