Explosion rocks Apple supplier plant in China, 61 hurt

An explosion hit a plant of a supplier of tech giant Apple Inc. in Shanghai, China, injuring at least 61 workers, with possible impacts on the production of its popular iPad tablet, Apple enthusiast and tech sites said Monday night.

 

Enthusiast site 9to5mac.com cited an initial Reuters report that the blast hit the Pegatron plant in Shanghai, and that 23 of the 61 had to be hospitalized.

 

The site also said that the fire caused damage to the plant’s machinery.

 

It also cited China’s Yi Cai Daily as saying the plant will be producing back panels for Apple's iPad 2 tablet.

 

But it noted the report also quoted Pegatron as saying the plant is not yet fully operating.

 

Also, it said that while Pegatron claimed “it could make adjustments to the facility to minimize the impact on operations and revenue,” China’s Yi Cai Daily hinted the surrounding safety concerns may mean negative effects for Apple's supply chain next quarter.

 

A separate article on tech site CNET said the incident could affect production of current and future generations of Apple's iPad.

 

CNET added this was the second plant explosion this year to impact an Apple supply chain.

 

An explosion in May rocked a Foxconn factory that reportedly made iPads, killing at least two people and injuring 16, it said. — TJD, GMA News