Foxconn's Chengdu, China based iPad 2 factory suffered an explosion earlier today which killed at least two people.
Foxconn said the situation has been brought under control by the fire department and the "cause of the explosion is being investigated by local police." The company said it is cooperating with the investigation and production at the site has been suspended until the investigation is completed.
It apparently occurred in the "polishing plant" at around 7pm local time.
"We are working with medical officials to provide treatment to the injured employees and we are working with government and law enforcement officials to contact the families of all employees affected by this tragedy," Foxconn said in its statement, confirming the fatalities and 16 injuries.
Our hearts are with the people of Foxconn, their friends, and families.
Reader comments
Explosion at Foxconn iPad 2 facility results in two fatalities
Sorry to hear this happened. My prayers are with all of them and their families . Seems like Foxconn cant catch a break .. I wonder if it really was a dust problem that caused this explosion ?
Sometimes companies slack on dust control( to save money) which can be very dangerous.
i saw video and man it doesn't look great.
"ten fire engines and ten ambulances at the scene. "
" We can confirm that at approximately 7 pm on May 20, there was an explosion at our Chengdu campus. At this point, we can also confirm that there were two fatalities with injuries to 16 other employees. We are working with medical officials to provide treatment to the injured employees and we are working with government and law enforcement officials to contact the families of all employees affected by this tragedy.
The situation has been brought under control by the fire department and the cause of this explosion is being investigated by local police officials. Foxconn is cooperating fully with that investigation.Production has been suspended at the site of the explosion until the completion of the investigation. The safety of our employees is our highest priority and we will do whatever is required to determine and address the cause of this tragic accident.
"
videos toohttp://gizmodo.com/5803963/would-the-foxconn-factory-explosion-further-d...
Sorry to be rash and cynical, but those people have been working for years under horrible conditions, earning about U$170 a month, with overtimes that reach 36 hours per week to meet international demand, and now that something like this happens we send them our prayers? Why, so they can recover and get back to work 80h/weeks to make our iPads? I hope they go on strike and stop this madness.
I agree. That you are extremely rash and cynical. There won't be any strikes because people would line up 10 deep to make $170 a month in that part of the world.
Obviously I want their working conditions to improve and the company to treat them decently. But industrial accidents happen everywhere, even in the US with OSHA an 9 other govt agencies regulating every minute detail.
Unemployment rate in "that part of the world" is 4.1%. I very much doubt that people would line up 10 deep for those jobs (well they might because 10 deep over there is nothing). Working conditions in China are a shame, and we all turn a blind eye and pretend we have no responsibility for that, as long as we have our iPads and iPhones in stock.
Taking advantage of a situation is not the same as being at fault in the situation.. I do believe they should be better paid, but that is not the job of our country to enforce. On topic.. I feel sorry for anyone there that lost a loved one.
4.1%? Cool then I guess there's no problem with FoxConn employees finding another place to work. Problem solved.
4.1% of 1.3 billion people is 53+ million people without jobs. Still a lot if you ask me.
i don't follow this but don't they make a good wage relative to the average for the similar job in the area?
regardless, a tragedy has no effect on the fact that i want workers to have good wages and work in good conditions. If you think that's a product of a fire you're mistaken. It's ALWAYS been my position. And sadly the same people in America, surely aren't out in south central, fighting for schools and bringing jobs back to the area after factories left decades ago. For all this outrage at sympathy for them. I say why wasn't their outrage for the last 30 years over the no jobs in American communities? There won't be any tomorrow either.
There always has to be some human rights activist. Are they being forced to work there? Are they being told that if they don't their gonna be killed? I doubt it. So drop it. If the work conditions suck for them that bad, then they should quit and find another job. Apparently there's some reason the job is appealing to them.
I'm sure the ladies at the Triangle Shiwrtwaist Factory would have a thing or two to say about this.
Sorry Georgia, that was a general rant, it was not intented for you.
China isn't unlike other countries. The poorer areas get taken advantage of, and of coarse the jobs themselves are also poor. "That part of the world." isn't doing it justice. Don't forget, countries like Japan and China didn't choose to get involved in the global space. European countries with Britian at the helm exploited them and brought them down. U.S. Even aided their former enemies. And we personally threatened Japan with our warships.
That said there's something wrong when companies like Apple use U.S. Resources which themselves are stolen from other countries, hands it to a company like Foxconn and they both exploit the people.
It's wrong.
It's Osama.
No, it's ignorant fcks like you that can't help but hate on a president who got something done while he was in office, unlike the last poor excuse of a head of state - George Dubbaya.
This incident will surely affect the sales of iPad 2 significantly. It is no secret that there is a scarcity on this device but even when the situation doesn’t favor Apple, the sales of other tablets don’t seem to catch up. After what happened to the Foxconn plant, someone has to be accountable for this accident.
“The explosion was caused by a super-light dust explosion (aluminium dust explosions),” CFD reports. The building is the production lines for Apple's iPad 2.
Lol these comments went from "how upsetting...my thoughts and prayers are with you..." to selfish people arguing about things that have nothing to do with them. Shut up. Show some respect.
There were worker suicides at the same factory last year. I am glad I bought a playbook. I don't want my dollars going to Apple, when they know conditions are this bad.
update:TAIPEI, Taiwan — Electronics maker Foxconn Technology Group says the death toll in an explosion at its factory in southwestern China has risen from two to three.
The Taipei-based company also said in a statement late Sunday that local authorities had determined in their preliminary findings that Friday’s accident at its Chengdu complex was caused by “an explosion of combustible dust in a duct.” On Saturday, a local official said there was no evidence showing the explosion, which also injured 15 people, was sparked deliberately.
Foxconn is the world’s biggest contract electronics manufacturer and makes iPads and iPhones for Apple Inc.
Last year, Foxconn scrambled to improve conditions at its plants after a string of worker suicides.