Three Contract Workers Die After Inhaling Gas at Tata Electronics iPhone Parts Plant in India
Hosur, Tamil Nadu, India — Three contract workers died on the evening of November 9 after inhaling gas while carrying out maintenance work at a Tata Electronics factory in southern India that makes components for Apple's iPhone. District Collector C Dinesh Kumar said the men died while inspecting an external nano-filtration tank at the plant's effluent treatment plant.
According to the New Indian Express and local reports, the four workers had been engaged by Nalco Water, an Ecolab company, to clean sludge at the effluent treatment plant near Uddanapalli in Krishnagiri district. Kumar told reporters that one worker fell into the tank and the others died trying to rescue him; only one of the four survived. He said there were no proper safety measures in place while the effluent plant was being handled, and that the district administration is inquiring into the incident. Officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board were set to visit the plant on November 10 to investigate.
Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Virudhai Magal Keerthana posted on X that the safety and dignity of every worker must remain paramount, that the incident would be thoroughly investigated, and that appropriate action would follow. Sources with direct knowledge said Tata Electronics and Apple would also investigate the deaths; Tata Electronics did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The facility was closed for the Deepavali festival holiday, and the sources said production was not affected.
Tata accounts for roughly 40 percent of iPhone assembly in India, with Foxconn making up most of the rest. The Hosur site has faced setbacks before: a fire halted production at the components plant in 2024.
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：印度泰米尔纳德邦霍苏尔街景，塔塔电子工厂所在的工业城镇（资料图）。照片：Prof tpms 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A street in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, the industrial town where the Tata Electronics plant is located (file photo). Photo by Prof tpms, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
