Three workers die at Tata’s iPhone parts plant in India’s Tamil Nadu

What the report says

Three contract workers have died at a Tata Electronics facility in Hosur, in India’s Tamil Nadu state, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing Reuters and local district official Dinesh Kumar. The plant makes components for Apple iPhones and is part of Tata’s electronics operations, which are a major part of Apple’s supply chain in India.

The deaths happened late on Monday while the workers were assigned to clean an effluent treatment plant at the site. Kumar said the workers appear to have inhaled gas while inspecting an external nano-filtration tank. They were taken to a private hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival, according to the report.

The incident adds to scrutiny of Tata’s iPhone-related manufacturing in Tamil Nadu, an important industrial hub that hosts factories for several global companies. The article notes that Tata’s Hosur operations have already faced setbacks, including a fire that disrupted production in 2024 and earlier concerns from state authorities about possible groundwater contamination. A separate ransomware breach at an adjacent plant in the same compound was also reported previously.

Tamil Nadu’s industries minister said on X that the deaths would be thoroughly investigated and that action would follow based on the findings. The report places the accident in the broader context of India’s growing role in global iPhone production as Apple continues shifting more manufacturing away from China.