Apple to Investigate After Three Workers Die at Tata iPhone Parts Plant

Apple is sending a team to assist an investigation after three contract workers died at Tata Electronics' iPhone components factory in Hosur, India, according to Reuters. The deaths occurred late Monday during maintenance at a wastewater treatment facility on the site.

District official Dinesh Kumar said the workers inhaled gas while inspecting an external nano-filtration tank at the plant in Tamil Nadu. The report did not identify the gas involved.

The treatment facility is operated by Nalco Water, part of U.S.-based Ecolab. Nalco Water said the workers had been hired by one of its subcontractors and that it was cooperating with local authorities. 'We take this incident extremely seriously,' the company said.

Apple, Tata, and state authorities will investigate the deaths, Reuters reported, citing officials and sources with direct knowledge of the matter. One source said Apple's team was visiting the plant to help with the investigation. Tamil Nadu's industries minister also pledged a thorough inquiry and action based on its findings.

Production was unaffected because the factory was already closed for the Deepavali holiday this week, according to two industry sources. Tata Electronics and Apple did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

The Hosur components site has faced scrutiny before. In June, local health officials were investigating complaints about wastewater discharge after farmers alleged contamination of nearby water supplies. Reuters has not established a connection between those complaints and the workers' deaths.