Three contract workers die at Tata iPhone components factory in India
The workers died after inhaling gas during a tank inspection at Tata Electronics’ Hosur facility in Tamil Nadu, a district official said.
By Hiroshi Ferrari ·
Three contract workers died late on Monday at a Tata Electronics factory that makes components for Apple iPhones in southern India. The deaths occurred at the company’s site in Hosur, in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district, adding to a series of setbacks at the facility.
Senior district official Dinesh Kumar told The New Indian Express that the workers were part of a group tasked with cleaning an effluent treatment plant at the Hosur facility. According to Kumar, they inhaled gas while inspecting an external nano-filtration tank. They were taken to a private hospital, where doctors declared all three dead on arrival, the newspaper reported, citing the official.
Tamil Nadu’s industries minister, Virudhai Magal Keerthana, said the circumstances surrounding the deaths would be examined. In a post on X, the minister said the incident would be “thoroughly investigated and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings”.
The deaths come as India has become Apple’s most important manufacturing base outside China. As the US technology company has expanded production beyond China over the years, India’s share has grown to roughly 25 percent of all iPhones made worldwide. Tata Group’s electronics business accounts for about 40 percent of iPhone assembly in India, with Foxconn responsible for the remainder.
Tamil Nadu plays a significant role in that manufacturing network and is one of India’s main industrial hubs. Alongside its role in Apple’s supply chain, the state hosts factories operated by international companies including Foxconn, Hyundai, VinFast and BMW. The Hosur deaths are the latest incident involving Apple’s supply chain in India.
Tata’s components factory in Hosur has experienced previous disruptions. A fire brought production to a halt in 2024. This year, state authorities warned that the facility could be shut down over allegations of groundwater contamination, although they subsequently dropped the matter. Concerns about water pollution have been among the challenges facing Tata’s iPhone operations in recent months.
A separate cybersecurity incident affected a neighbouring iPhone factory within the same compound. Reuters previously reported that a ransomware breach there exposed documents connected to Apple’s then-unreleased iPhone 18 Pro. That breach, the earlier fire and the groundwater contamination allegations form the backdrop to the latest deaths at the Hosur site.
