Chinese people have rescued 31 people forced to work for a year as slaves at a brickworks run by the son of a local Communist Party official, state media reported today.
They were guarded by dogs and "thugs" at the factory, near Linfen in the poor inland province of Shanxi, and the boss was only allowed to get away with it because of his political connections, the newspaper said.
Eight of the workers were so traumatised by the experience they were only able to remember their names, the Beijing News said, citing a report in the Shanxi Evening Post.
One labourer was beaten to death with a hammer for not working hard enough, before police raided the brickworks to set the others free, the newspaper added.
The survivors had bruises, wounds and burns all over their bodies, having been made to carry uncooled bricks and walk barefoot in the kiln, it said.
"The grime on their bodies was so thick it could be scraped off with a knife," the newspaper added.
The foreman's son and one of the hired thugs had been detained by police, but four were on the run, the report said. The workers are still living at the brickworks while the local government tries to get their wages.