Three workers died from suspected asphyxiation during maintenance and cleaning work inside a Tata Electronics plant in the Krishnagiri district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The plant, located near Hosur, produces components for Apple’s iPhones.
Deaths from asphyxiation
According to the newspaper The New Indian Express, the three workers were 25, 28 and 32 years old. They worked for a subcontractor company responsible for work on the filtration system. They allegedly inhaled toxic gases while carrying out checks on a tank at the wastewater treatment plant.
According to an initial reconstruction, one of the workers lost consciousness and a colleague entered the tank to help him, also fainting. The third colleague, in an attempt to help them, would have suffered the same fate. A fourth member of the team, who witnessed the accident, raised the alarm. The three victims were rescued and taken to hospital, but it was late.
“The safety and dignity of every worker must remain a top priority. This tragic incident will be thoroughly investigated and, based on the findings, appropriate action will be taken,” Virudhai Magal Keerthana, Tamil Nadu Industry Minister, said in a post on X.
The Tata group had no comment. Apple, on the other hand, to which the plant involved supplied components, “will investigate – according to a source – the accident that occurred at the plant of its supplier, Tata”.