Three workers die during maintenance at Tata iPhone plant

Three contract workers died during maintenance at a Tata Electronics plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, and state authorities, Tata and Apple are investigating, officials and industry sources said. The plant makes components for Apple’s iPhones.

District official Dinesh Kumar said the workers inhaled gas while inspecting an external nanofiltration tank at the facility’s effluent-treatment plant. Police said the exact cause of death would be established after postmortem examinations. No postmortem findings are reported.

The district collector’s office said four workers were assigned to the maintenance team. One worker collapsed after looking into the tank, and two colleagues who entered to help also collapsed. The fourth worker raised the alarm. The three were taken to a private hospital in Hosur, where doctors declared them dead.

A senior official from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health said the workers did not have proper safety arrangements for the work. That assessment has not been presented as a finding of the ongoing inquiry. The district administration has ordered an investigation, and Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Virudhai Magal Keerthana said the deaths would be...