Daijiworld Media Network - Hosur
Hosur, Nov 10: Three contract workers died after allegedly inhaling toxic gas during maintenance work at a Tata Electronics facility manufacturing components for Apple's iPhones in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, on Monday night.
The incident occurred at an effluent treatment plant operated by Nalco Water, a subsidiary of US-based Ecolab. District official Dinesh Kumar said the workers were inspecting an external nano-filtration tank when they inhaled gas and died.
The deaths will be investigated by Tata Electronics, Apple and the Tamil Nadu authorities, according to state officials and two industry sources familiar with the matter.
Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Virudhai Magal Keerthana said in a post on X that the incident would be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken based on the findings.
Tata Electronics, Apple and Nalco Water had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
The incident is the latest setback for Apple's expanding manufacturing operations in India, which has emerged as a major production base as the US technology giant seeks to reduce its dependence on China. India currently accounts for around 25 per cent of global iPhone production.
Tata Electronics, part of the Tata Group, accounts for approximately 40 per cent of iPhone assembly in India, while Foxconn handles the remaining share.
Production at the Hosur facility has not been affected by the incident as the plant was closed for the Deepavali festival this week, the two industry sources said. Both Tata and Apple are expected to investigate the deaths.
The Hosur operations have faced several challenges in recent years. A fire at a Tata facility manufacturing iPhone components in September 2024 halted production. Earlier this year, state authorities warned of a possible shutdown over alleged groundwater contamination, although the matter was subsequently dropped.
Separately, a ransomware attack at an adjacent iPhone plant within the same compound resulted in the leak of documents related to Apple's then-unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, Reuters had reported.
Tamil Nadu is one of India's major industrial hubs, hosting manufacturing facilities of several global companies, including Foxconn, Hyundai, VinFast and BMW.