'Thousands of labourers are dying every year' amid the construction of Saudi Arabia's futuristic The Line 'megacity' and horrific working conditions, with '21,000 dead since 2016'

But his efforts are blighted by his nation's shocking human rights record Thousands of labourers are dying every year amid the construction of a futuristic 'megacity' in Saudi Arabia due in part to horrific working conditions and human rights abuses, a new investigation has claimed. One of the cornerstones of the Crown Prince's ambitious project is The Line, a scarcely believable car-free metropolis that is planned to stretch more than 100 miles through the desert Project chiefs say The Line will 'redefine liveability' and 'transform how we live​', serving as a sustainable, inclusive example of cities for the future Workers are dying in their thousands each year to build these projects Construction workers stand on the edge of a vast trench being dug for The Line megacity Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Saudi law stipulates that workers should never do more than 60 hours a week. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announces 'The Line' to be built at NEOM in northwestern Saudi Arabia Workers say accidents regularly occur due to the poor working conditions, lack of safety regulations and exhaustion The body of one worker who died is buried McGeehan added: 'One of the key reasons why we do not know why migrant workers are dying in Saudi Arabia is that death certificates are marked with things like ''natural causes'' or ''cardiac arrest'' or ''acute respiratory failure''. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is ruthlessly ploughing ahead with his Vision 2030 project Manahel Al-Otaibi was sentenced in 2024 to 11 years in prison by a counterterrorism court over tweets she'd sent in favour of women's rights and images of herself she'd posted wearing clothes that the authorities said were 'immodest' Some women in Saudi Arabia have stopped wearing the abaya, a long over-garment, when they leave the house. Pictured is Mashael al-Jaloud, right, wearing western clothes at a mall in Riyadh as she walks next to four women wearing niqabs Saudi Manahel al-Otaibi, 30, was jailed for 11 years after posting about female empowerment on social media Besides exposing the plight of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, the ITV investigation includes the first TV interview with the sister of a Saudi fitness instructor who was jailed for over a decade after posting in favour of women's rights on social media.