Three contract workers have died at a Tata Electronics factory in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state that manufactures components for Apple iPhone devices, the latest supply-chain safety incident affecting the US company in its most critical manufacturing base after China.
The deaths occurred late on Monday and will be investigated by Apple, Tata, and state authorities, according to state officials and two industry sources with direct knowledge.
The electronics unit of the Tata Group accounts for about 40% of iPhone assembly, while Foxconn accounts for the rest in India. In recent months, Tata has faced challenges as its iPhone production was disrupted by a ransomware attack and concerns about water pollution.
Over the years, as Apple expanded manufacturing beyond China, India emerged as a key hub that now accounts for roughly 25% of global iPhone production.
The three contract workers died during maintenance work on an effluent treatment plant at the facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, district official Dinesh Kumar said.
The effluent treatment plant was operated by Nalco Water, which is part of US-headquartered Ecolab, Kumar said, adding that the deaths occurred when the workers inhaled gas while inspecting an external nano-filtration tank.
Tata Electronics, Apple, and Nalco Water did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Tamil Nadu a key industrial hub for global giants
Tamil Nadu is a key industrial hub in India, hosting factories of many global giants like Foxconn, Hyundai, VinFast and BMW.
Its industries minister, Virudhai Magal Keerthana, said in a post on X/Twitter that the worker deaths will be “thoroughly investigated and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings.”
There has been no impact on production as the facility was closed for the Hindu festival of Deepavali this week, the two industry sources said, adding that Tata and Apple will both investigate the incident.
Tata’s Hosur site has faced repeated setbacks: a fire halted production at the components plant in 2024, and state authorities warned of a shutdown over alleged groundwater contamination this year before dropping the matter.
Separately, a ransomware breach at an adjacent iPhone plant, located in the same compound, leaked documents linked to Apple’s then-unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, Reuters has reported.
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