Three workers die after inhaling gas at Tata iPhone parts plant, probe ordered

Three contract workers have died after inhaling gas at a Tata Electronics plant in Hosur, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where components for Apple iPhones are made. The accident happened late on Monday (9 November) at the plant in Hosur, in Krishnagiri district.

Senior district official Dinesh Kumar told The New Indian Express that the three workers were part of a team assigned to clean the plant's effluent treatment plant (ETP). They inhaled gas while inspecting an external nano-filtration tank.

The three workers were taken to a private hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.

Tata Group's electronics unit accounts for roughly 40 percent of iPhone assembly in India, and Foxconn makes up the rest. As Apple has expanded manufacturing beyond China, India has emerged as a key hub, which now accounts for roughly 25 percent of the world's iPhones.

Tamil Nadu is a key industrial hub in India, hosting factories of many global giants, such as Foxconn, Hyundai, VinFast and BMW.

The state's minister for industries, 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.

The 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.

In recent months, Tata's iPhone-making operations have faced many challenges, including a ransomware attack and concerns about water pollution.

Separately, a ransomware breach at an adjacent iPhone plant in the same compound leaked documents linked to Apple's then-unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, the Reuters news agency reported previously.

The investigation into the deaths of the three workers is continuing. The cause of the accident and questions of responsibility will only be known officially once the findings are available.