Three contract workers died on Monday evening, November 9, 2026, while cleaning a wastewater treatment tank at Tata Electronics’ factory near Hosur in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district. The facility makes components for Apple iPhones. The Tamil Nadu government has said the incident will be investigated, and the district administration has launched an inquiry into a breach of safety regulations at the plant.
Who the workers were and what happened
Police identified the deceased as Kaveri (30) of Hosur, and B Akmal (28) and M Sarathi Kumar (28), both from Dharmapuri district, PTI reported. They were engaged by a sub-contractor of Nalco Water, an Ecolab company, which operates the utility facility where the incident took place.
According to police, the three were exposed to poisonous fumes and severe oxygen depletion while desilting an effluent treatment plant (ETP) storage tank. They collapsed one after another. A fourth member of the crew alerted nearby staff. All three were pulled out and taken to a private hospital in Hosur, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. Post-mortem examinations were moved to the Government Medical College Hospital in Krishnagiri.
District official Dinesh Kumar told Reuters the workers inhaled gas while inspecting an external nano-filtration tank.
Probe ordered, action taken report sought
Krishnagiri District Collector C Dinesh Kumar visited the site and said asphyxiation during sludge removal was the primary cause of death. He directed Tata Electronics’ management to submit a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR), PTI reported.
Police have registered a case. They’re examining why the workers entered the tank without formal protective equipment and whether negligence by the contracting firms played a role. Preliminary findings show there was no proper gas monitoring equipment or emergency rescue mechanism in place during the cleaning operation, police said.
Officials from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) have also carried out a spot inspection.
What the minister said
Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Virudhai Magal Keerthana offered condolences to the families in a post on X. She said she’d directed the district administration to extend all necessary support to them. She said the deaths would be:
“thoroughly investigated and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings.” Virudhai Magal Keerthana, Industries Minister, Tamil Nadu, via Business Today
She added that measures must be put in place to stop such incidents from recurring, stating, “The safety and dignity of every worker must remain paramount.”
Company responses
Nalco Water said the deceased were engaged by one of its sub-contractors and that it’s working with local authorities on the investigation. “Our priority is to extend all possible support to the families,” the company said in its statement.
Tata Electronics and Apple hadn’t issued official statements as of November 11. Apple, Tata and state authorities will investigate the deaths, Reuters reported, citing state officials and two industry sources. The same sources said production wasn’t affected because the plant was shut for Deepavali this week.
