Three workers die at Tata's India iPhone parts factory

CHENNAI: Three contract workers have died at a Tata Electronics factory that makes parts for Apple iPhones in India's southern Tamil Nadu state, the latest supply chain incident affecting the U.S. company in its most critical manufacturing base after China. The deaths, which occurred late on Monday, will be investigated by Apple, Tata and the state authorities, state officials and two industry sources with direct knowledge said. The salt-to-aviation Tata Group's electronics unit accounts for roughly 40% of iPhone assembly and Foxconn makes up the rest in India. Tata has in recent months faced many challenges as its iPhone-making operations have been hit by a ransomware attack and concerns of water pollution. Over the years, as Apple expanded manufacturing beyond China, India has emerged as a key hub which now accounts for roughly 25% of the world's iPhones. The three contract workers died during maintenance work on an effluent treatment plant at the facility which is located in Hosur in Tamil Nadu, district official Dinesh Kumar said. The effluent treatment plant was operated by Nalco Water, which is part of U.S.-headquartered Ecolab, he 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. Key industrial region 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 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.